Strength In Numbers
by yobloc20
Summary: Just after escaping the mall, the gang of four have their plan halted. When they meet another group of survivors, going through the mental pain of losing a man, joining forces crosses both sides minds. But will the band of four be willing to scrap their plan for the unrealistic chance of safety from the apocalypse in the Florida Keys? Rated T for now. Zellis and possibly Frochelle
1. Obstacles

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. This is my first fic so please understand if it's not good, spelling mistakes etc. I always loved Left 4 Dead and Ellis and Zoey are my favourite characters so I thought why not? Please favourite, review and enjoy! P.S. Constructive criticism is approved. Hell, any sort of review is heavily appreciated._

 _I do not own any of the characters in this story. Valve does._

 **Chapter 1: Obstacles**

Everything was quiet. Everything was slowly getting darker.

There was no noise except the slight rhythm of the rain, the gentle wind rustling the leaves of the trees and the shuffling and gurgles of the mindless infected. Debris was littered all over the narrow road which stretched on for a while. The infected simply wandered aimlessly, as if their mind shut off when there wasn't something to chase. Others lay motionless on the cracked road or the leafy grass, starved and unresponsive.

But suddenly, _something_ caught their interest.

Two sources of lights quickly advancing closer from the end of the long road. A faint humming noise gradually getting louder the closer it was getting. The infected on the ground jumped up and stared at the lights which were getting closer. Their eyes reflected off the beams of light. It was getting closer and closer. The noise was quite audible now. They started to run at the advancing object. The infected let out snarls of hunger and rage. Then with a swift roar, the two lights passed in a flash of fluorescent blue. The noise died down again gradually to the previous hum. The lights were gone. The infected gave chase but quickly lost interest. Then as if nothing happened, they started wandering again.

 _"_ _I'll never get used to how their eyes look in the dark."_

 _"_ _Huh?"_

 _"_ _The zombies, the way their eyes, like, shine. Makes 'em look like a wild animal. Creeps me the hell out."_

 _"_ _Damn, you got that one right boy. Like a feral animal or some shit."_

Ellis was driving the car. He insisted one hundred times at the mall. As long as it made him stop whining about it, the other three were fine with it. Everyone could tell the mechanic was having the time of his life while he was behind the wheel of his hero's stock car.

Coach was in the passenger seat. Every once in a while he would warn Ellis of an incoming piece of debris just incase Ellis didn't see it. They had sat in silence for around thirty minutes before Ellis brought up that previous thought to Coach. There was an odd atmosphere in the car, as if the four survivors all had a big argument with each other and they were now ignoring one another. Ellis knew it. Coach knew it. Ellis was simply trying to get a conversation going to kill the strange mood in the car.

Nick and Rochelle were seated in the back of the stock car. Rochelle had her elbow up against the door; she was gazing out the window up at the sky, lost in thought. Nick had his arms crossed, his head against the window and his eyes shut. Whether he was actually asleep or he was trying to give the impression he was, the other three didn't know. But they all knew that they should leave him alone for now and let him have his rest.

"How you holding up Ellis?" Coach enquired to the young man. "I still can't believe that I'm driving Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car! This is been a dream o' mine since I was a kid." Ellis replied cheerfully, his signature grin plastered onto his face. Coach chuckled to himself. "I mean are ya tired? I can drive if you wanna sleep." Ellis shook his head. "Nah I'm good. I could drive this beauty for days!" Coach gave him a questionable look before relaxing back into his seat.

"So em… Where were ya when eh… you know… All this zombie shit started?" Ellis asked with caution, worried that perhaps it was a sensitive issue with the brick wall of a man. Coach sighed and thought. "Ehhm… I was driving my car home from a training session with the football team and I got to the highway and it was completely blocked… Everyone had gotten outta their cars and some folk were running so I left my car to check what shit was going on and some people just ran by and told me to haul my ass outta there. I heard screaming in the distance so I did… Went back to Savannah." Coach paused for a moment before continuing. "I called my wife as soon as I got the chance. She said she was on her way a CEDA centre at 'the Vannah' hotel with our daughter. I said I would meet her there… I met up with Ro and she was headed that way anyway so we went together. And that's when we met you and Nick. I don't know where they are, I'm just praying they were evaced and they're okay." There was a moment of silence before Rochelle commented "I'm sure they got out and they're okay Coach." Coach gave a small smile. "I sure as shit hope so Ro."

Coach turned back to Ellis "So what about yourself, boy?" Ellis gave a moment of thought. "Well uhh, I was in my garage with Keith actually. We were workin' away on this beauty of a car when we heard this commotion goin' on outside. We saw people running and the radio we had on just went to static and a message started to play about going to your nearest CEDA evac centre. Me and Keith thought to hell 'bout that and we started workin' on this truck we had, ya know, makin' it one hundred percent zombie proof!" Coach gave Ellis a funny look before the mechanic continued.

"We set off and well it turns out it was only ninety-nine point nine percent zombie proof. Bastards ripped it up in a matter of seconds. Me and Keith escaped and he ran one way and I ran the other. I sure hope he's okay but I dunno… Not too long later I found Nick."

Coach gave a small chuckle. "From all the ridiculous stories of the pain and nonsense Keith has gone through, I'm sure an apocalypse is nothing to him!" Ellis gave a laugh. "Yeah Coach! Maybe you're right man!" The mood was now replaced with a cheery atmosphere much to the relief of Coach, Ellis and Rochelle. The rain was getting heavier now.

The headlights then picked up a figure in the middle of the road. Ellis gave a quick look at Coach and then returned his gaze onto the road with a massive smile. "Hey Coach. Watch this!" Ellis remarked as he put his foot on the accelerator. The car roared and sped at the figure. A huge smash was heard and the body tumbled over the windscreen and rolled off onto the road behind. Coach and Ellis started laughing hysterically to themselves. Rochelle looked startled but gave a small grin. Unfortunately, a certain conman was not so impressed by his rude awakening.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?!"

Coach and Ellis looked at each other with a look of immediate regret. They had just woke the viper. "Uhh sorry Nick we just hit a zombie." Nick wasn't having that as a viable excuse. "Are you watching the goddamn road? You can't go ramming into everything you want Overalls!" Ellis looked crestfallen. "Uh yeah sorry Nick…" Ellis muttered.

"Calm down Nick. He was just having fun." Rochelle tried to reason with the conman. "Oh yeah, well I'm pretty sure it will be a lot of fun when a zombie smashes through the windscreen, won't it?" Nick sneered, not appreciative of his rude awakening. "Nick, the boy said he's sorry. Drop it, okay." Coach reasoned.

Nick let out a large sigh. "Anyone know where we are?" Coach shrugged while Rochelle chimed in "I think I saw a sign not so long ago that said Rayford or something?" Coach seemed to light up at that word "Rayford?! Shit! We're on the right track then!" Nick and Rochelle looked confused. "How would you know that?" Questioned Nick who seemed unconvinced.

"You can cut right through Rayford to get to the highway which will take us right to Naw'leans!" Replied Coach. Nick sighed at how Coach pronounced 'New Orleans' but a relieved grin appeared on his face. "Okay, I hope you're right big guy." Nick had forgotten that Coach was a Georgian local.

Ellis gave an ear-to-ear smile. "Next stop! Rayford!"


	2. Spanner in the Works

_Hello again! Yobloc20 here. I'm going to try to update as much as I can but if I don't I guess I can blame it on school and friends or just being plain lazy XD Anyway let's get right into it shall we? Please favourite, review and enjoy!_

 **Chapter 2: Spanner in the Works**

"So that's Rayford then, huh?"

"Shit, I guess so Nick."

The group looked out from atop a grassy hill. There was a thick blanket of trees behind them. They had pulled in for a better view of where they were planning to manoeuvre through. There were only a few dots of light around the town. The rain was still pounding down all around them.

"Alright, we need to cross that there river and drive to the other side of town and out, okay y'all?" Coach explained to the other three survivors. All three nodded back in return. The group knew the risks of cities and towns. Cities equal people. People equal zombies. But in this circumstance, they believed it was inevitable they cut through a few if necessary. The port town looked large enough. Nick didn't feel good about the plan.

"Okay people, I don't have a good feeling about this." Nick began. "No messing around in there. We go through quickly and quietly."

"Sorta hard to 'quickly and quietly' in a high powered race car Nick. It's one or the other." Ellis retorted. Coach and Rochelle had to hold in their laughter.

"Whatever. Just get us out of Rayford alive, Overalls." Nick replied, an edge of irritancy on his voice.

"Can we get a move on guys? I'm freezing to death in this rain." Rochelle asked.

All four climbed back into the fluorescent blue car and it jolted back to life. "Aw I missed you too." Ellis cooed. The other three shot him a questionable look.

"I think you like this car **too** much Ellis." Nick commented but got no response. The car backed up carefully before speeding onto the road into the town.

Rayford was eerily silent. The town which used to be filled with such life and noise was now completely dead and deserted. Except for a stock car slowly rolling right through an empty street. Ellis was cautious about making too much noise. The other three scanned the passing alleyways for any signs of life. The car was silent, waiting for someone to make the call out any movement outside the car. The rain smashing off the car made the group nervous. It was getting difficult to look out the windows with the rain running down them. "I can't see a goddamn thing." Rochelle commented in a near whisper. "Just keep it together y'all." Coach encouraged, trying to stop any panic from growing.

The car then came to a stop.

"Why are we stopping overalls?" Nick inquired as he glared at the driver.

"Uh guys? You see that thing too right?" Ellis questioned staring out the windscreen. The four stepped out of the car and shocked by what they saw.

"Is that a - a bridge?" Rochelle asked in confusion, not clearly seeing what the structure was.

In front of the survivors was a huge, looming structure which made out the shape of a bridge. It was massive, metallic and it was a big problem.

"Where is the - you know – the actual bridge part?" Nick questioned with concern, gazing down at the river that separated them from the other side.

"From the look of it, up there." Coach pointed high up the structure where they saw the raised bridge.

"Are you **_serious_**?! What asshole raised the goddamn bridge? Son of a bitch!" Nick exploded with anger, looking for something to strike.

"This isn't happening… This isn't happening… This isn't happening." Rochelle repeated over to herself in an attempt calm herself down.

"Maybe we could find another route?" Ellis suggested. Unfortunately, an already raging Nick was especially not in the mood for Ellis and his useless attempts to find an easy solution.

"No Ellis! No, we can't just find another goddamn route! This is the route we're going you dumbass!" He nearly shouted at the young mechanic.

"Shut up Nick. He's just trying to help." Rochelle scowled at how much of an ass Nick could be at times.

"No Rochelle! There is a difference between helping and-

 _"_ _Can I help you by any chance?"_ A rough voice shouted from somewhere.

All four quickly pulled out whatever weapon they had on them and stood back-to-back, all startled by the mystery voice.

"Up here! On the bridge!" The voice yelled again.

The four survivors craned their necks up towards the bridge. A man in mostly black was leaning against the rail of the catwalk. He had a shaved head. He gave them a smirk and waved a gloved hand.

"Can I help you guys?" He repeated in the same scratchy voice.

"Yeah, by any chance could you lower the bridge? We need to get across." Coach explained.

The man shook his head. "No can do. Sorry man."

"Is this a joke?! Lower the goddamn bridge!" Nick yelled up at the man, frustration evident on his voice.

"Bite me, Colonel Sanders." The man responded, Rochelle couldn't help herself but stifle a laugh.

"Lower the goddamn bridge, you greasy vest wearing monkey!" Nick retorted.

"Gentlemen!" Rochelle interrupted the argument which wasn't helping their cause at all. She turned back to the man. "Listen, I'm sorry about him! Are you sure you can't lower the bridge?"

"Hell yeah! I'll help **_you_**!" The man replied, causing Rochelle to blush a little.

 _"_ _Francis? Who are you talking to?"_ Another voice called from out of view. It was female this time.

A girl walked on the catwalk and stood beside the man. She was much smaller than him. She was wearing a red jacket and dark blue jeans with black sneakers. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail. She looked down at the group before looking back at the man, and then back down at them again. She looked wide eyed and shocked, probably at the sight of new people. They couldn't blame her, they had traveled most of Georgia and had only met a crazy gun store owner who crazed for cola.

Nick looked over at Ellis and saw he was staring at the girl with his mouth wide open.

The two were having a heated conversation with each other. They were angrily whispering to each other, their facial expressions reading annoyed and confused.

She than looked back down before saying "Please give us a minute!" Both left the catwalk and walked out of their view.

"So what do we do now?" Nick questioned as he looked at his group in confusion.

"We wait." Coach replied as he rested up against the car.


	3. Altercations

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Sorry about the last chapter being rather short and bad… I wanted to get a new chapter out fast so I rather rushed it. This one will be longer. Favourite, review and enjoy! All characters belong to Valve._

 **Chapter 3: Altercations**

"We should let them up here! Negotiate with them; see if there is another way we could help them!"

"Let them up here? No way. I don't trust that jackass in the suit."

Zoey rolled her eyes. "We can't just leave them down there either!"

"We don't have to let them up here either." Francis muttered.

Zoey gave a heavy groan. "Louis! Back me up here! We should let them up here! Right?" Zoey questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Louis gawked at Francis and Zoey nervously. They were both staring back at him with the belief that he would side with them. Louis knew that getting on either one's bad side was an unpleasant experience, to say the least.

However, Louis just shrugged and decided to sit on the fence. "I'm not sure. You both have good points. We can't just leave them down there but we just met these people! How do we know they're not just playing us on?" There was a few seconds of silence before Zoey replied. "They want to cross the bridge. Not rob us." Louis thought about it some more. "Maybe you're right. Tell them to come to the other side of the bridge. We can talk more clearly there." Zoey nodded and gave a victory smile. She loved being right.

However, Francis was still not convinced.

"What happened to everything Bill said, _looking after our own_?" He questioned, causing the mood in the room the turn poisonous. "Are we just saying to hell with that?"

"You shut the **fuck** up right now." Zoey snapped from behind gritted teeth. She stormed out of the building and back onto the catwalk. Francis shook his head before commenting "I didn't mean to sound so-

"I know Francis. Zoey is still hurting over Bill. You should apologize to her." Francis sighed. "I know…"

Francis missed the old man. A lot more than the other two thought. He missed his leadership, the joking around they had, his advice. Hell, even _his presence_ gave the group confidence in knowing they had a war veteran in their ranks _._ Francis hated making difficult decisions because he was so used to Bill making the tough calls. Things had been rather difficult since Bill's demise. The group of three didn't speak much of him even though they thought about him all the time. His death was especially rough on Zoey. The young woman was forced to watch her mother turn after she was attacked and she had to put her infected father out of his misery. Zoey became attached to Bill as she saw him almost as a father figure and his departure was still a very sore subject with her.

Hopefully, she wasn't too pissed off at him.

 ** _Back at the bridge_**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me, Overalls."

"Nah man! She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!"

Nick let out a hurtful laugh as Coach stepped forward with a big grin on his face.

"Shit boy, where you gonna take her on your first date?"

"I gotta learn to actually be able to talk to her Coach." Ellis replied with dead seriousness, causing Coach and Nick to start laughing hysterically again. The rain didn't look like letting up.

"Would you two leave him alone?" Rochelle commented with a small smirk. "Ellis, just be your own sweet self, okay?" She added. Ellis nodded and fiddled with his cap in his hands.

"Well speak of the devil." Coach spoke up. "Here's your angel right now boy."

"Hello again!" She called down.

"Hey. What's the verdict then?" Nick inquired as he wiped the raindrops falling down his face.

"I'm really sorry guys! You're gonna have to come over to the other side of the bridge, we can talk easier over there and maybe we can negotiate a deal or something! I'm really sorry!"

Coach sighed. "Still don't wanna drop the bridge?"

Zoey nodded glumly. "I'm afraid so."

Nick wasn't happy about this, as he usually wasn't when things didn't go his way. "Listen, maybe bring the guy back out! He seemed to know what he was talking about!" He shouted up with a menacing grin on his face. Coach cursed something about Nick under his breath while Rochelle glared at him.

Rochelle was a nice, kind woman who always put others concerns ahead of her own. Oh, and she can give one hell of a dead arm which Nick unfortunately found out. He scowled and rubbed his arm.

"I could _shoot you where you stand._ " Zoey replied with venom and a hateful glare.

Nick just gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just joking! Geez, does anyone have a sense of humour?"

Ellis tried to speak up. "Do-don't worry a-a-about him ma'am. He is just - he is just a bit annoyed is all."

Zoey barely understood what the young man said but she got the message. "It's alright! You should probably get moving! It will be dark soon!"

"W-What about the um, the car?" Ellis asked.

Zoey smiled down at him. "It's okay. We'll make sure it's stays safe."

Ellis didn't seem completely thrilled but he knew he couldn't stay there. "Alright, we best be on our way! See you on the other side!" Coach yelled.

"Okay, see you there! Good luck!" She walked back out of view again.

The four survivors strolled over to the trunk of the race car and opened it, revealing their armoury of weapons.

Coach took his semi-automatic SPAS-12 and wrapped his chainsaw around his holster via a wire. His P220 pistol was already in his holster. Ellis strapped his P79 Grenade Launcher on his back with his MSG901 Sniper Rifle in his hands. A bloody baseball bat was tied to his waist. Rochelle grabbed her FN-SCAR Rifle and she shoved her beloved Desert Eagle into its holster. Nick took his AK47 Rifle and had a frying pan swinging from his belt. The group was stocked and ready to go.

"What are we waiting around for?" Nick inquired and got no response. "Alright, let's go."

"Ellis, keep your mind on the zombies, not the girl." Advised Coach.

With that, the group jumped off the ledge beside the road down into a bench area and started picking off infected as they came at the group.

Zoey heard the gunfire from the catwalk on the other side of the bridge. She sighed and thought about the group she had just met.

She was so happy to actually see another woman. And a really kind woman at that. The large man seemed to be their leader and he gave the impression of a sensible, wise man. The suited man was an asshole, but perhaps he was just having a bad day and Zoey decided not to judge him just yet. The young man though, she couldn't quite put a finger on what he was like.

He didn't speak very often and when he did, he stuttered so much that she could barely understand him. She remembered him calling her 'Ma'am' which made her grin. He was obviously courteous and well mannered. He seemed like a nice and friendly guy. Zoey let out another heavy sigh as she reset her eternal ponytail.

 _"_ _I hope they make it back okay"_


	4. Letting go

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Thanks for the nice reviews! I honestly didn't expect to get any… I'll try to make longer chapters I promise :') Anyway onwards with the story. Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 4: Letting go**

"You know, I thought the actual streets were bad. I thought the _zombie wedding_ was bad. But this shitty Under the River tour? Oh it takes the goddamn cake!"

The wedding the group had stumbled across not too long ago was a depressing sight for the whole group. Especially the witch bride which they barely managed to sneak by.

"Give it a rest Nick, would ya? We gotta keep moving." Coach grunted, tired of the conman and his constant complaining and whinging. He fired his automatic shotgun at an advancing zombie.

"No I'm serious! Who would ever take time out of their day to come down into this shithole! I mean this place was already bad when-

"Hey Nick, you got a turd on your shoulder." Ellis bluntly informed the conman as he tried to hide his grin. Whether this was an attempt to shut Nick up or there actually **was** a turd on his shoulder was unknown. Nick didn't want to know. The other two just laughed.

"I'm not looking." Nick grumbled.

A few infected ran out of the dark but were quickly dispatched with the combined gunfire of the survivors.

The group came up to a concrete platform with a ladder on the side. All four hauled up the ladder and took a minute to catch their breath. Wading through sewage was not an easy task. Beside them was a walkway which led out into the unclear distance.

"Is that the right way out of here?" Rochelle asked, wanting to get out of this underground 'tour' as quickly as possible.

"Ro, your guess is as good as mine." Coach replied with a shrug.

"I don't see 'nother way. This is our only option I guess." Ellis stated while his hands were busy reloading his sniper rifle. "Alright, let's keep going." Coach walked to the gates before turning around and smiling.

"Hey Nick, looks like we're back in the water." Coach chuckled. The first section of the walkway had collapsed into the water. "That sums up my luck recently." Nick muttered to himself.

Coach pressed the button to open the gate. Unfortunately, a bell sounded, the ringing echoing all around the sewer. "Great, just great… Of course the gate has an alarm." Rochelle mumbled in frustration. A shriek sounded out from the infected in the near distance.

"C'mon, we gotta turn that alarm off!" Coach barked as he jumped into the filthy water again, Rochelle grimacing before following right behind him. Ellis approached the edge before turning back to Nick with a grin.

"What? Are you afraid of a little water or something Nick?" He sarcastically questioned with a huge smile and leaped into the water after Coach and Rochelle.

"I hate you Ellis!"

 **Back at the Bridge**

Francis looked at the young woman from a distance. She had her head in her hands as she leaned against the railing. He felt awful. He didn't want to startle her so he walked up to her, making his footsteps quite audible. She looked up at him before quickly wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

She had obviously been crying.

"Hey Zoey." Francis said awkwardly. He didn't know what else to say besides that. Zoey didn't respond.

"I'm sorry for sounding so harsh earlier. You know I didn't mean it." He stated. She simply nodded at his words.

"I know." She responded, it was barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and gazed down at her feet.

"I know you don't like bringing it up. We all miss him Zo. We know you especially." He commented in a rather soft voice considering he was a tough, bar fighting biker. But he continued for her sake.

"He's in a better place Zo. He died a hero. _He died for us._ He doesn't have to deal with this crappy world anymore. He's no longer tired or hurting or sore. He's happy now."

He could see Zoey's eyes begin to get glassy again. She quickly wiped the tears away again, hoping he wouldn't notice. Zoey didn't like others seeing her cry. It made her feel weak.

"And he doesn't have to climb any more stairs." Francis added with a smile. Zoey give a small giggle before looking at him.

"Thanks Francis. Thanks a lot." She said with a smile.

There was a brief pause before Francis made another statement. "We should lower the bridge." He highly expected Zoey to strongly disagree but to his surprise, she nodded. "Yeah, we should." Francis shot her a smile. This was the first step to recovery.

 _Letting go._

"Sorry for being a bitch earlier." She said. Francis shook his head. "Nah, you weren't at all. Now come on. You'll freeze out here in the rain."

The two walked back to the building together. Zoey felt a lot better.

Somehow, Francis always knew how to cheer her up.

 **Back with the others**

The four survivors trudged into the safe house. Tired, beaten and filthy. Ellis slammed the door shut behind them before moving a table in front of it for good measure.

"Never. Again." Nick panted, exhausted from the run to turn off the alarm.

"Since when did they alarm goddamn sewer gates?!" Rochelle asked, trying to catch her breath. There was a moment where the only noise in the saferoom was all four survivors' attempts to recapture their breath.

"I swear to God." Nick began. "They **better** lower that goddamn bridge after **that** shitstorm." That was concern the other three had completely forgot about. They had just gone through hell for the possible chance to be told to turn back around and find another way to New Orleans. They suddenly began to dread meeting up with the other survivors again incase their worst fears were to be confirmed. But not Ellis.

Ellis could not wait to see the other group again. To see _that girl again._ He had thought about her the whole way. He was fairly still fairly nervous but he promised himself he wouldn't become a tongue-tied mess on their second encounter. Coach and Nick however, had not spared him any mercy about his new 'crush' if you could call it that. They constantly teased and mocked him, Nick being the more frequent. He even went as far as to advise Ellis to grab the dress from the witch bride for future use. Ellis just ignored them.

Coach got up off the table he was resting on and stretched his back. He then picked his SPAS-12 up off the table and gave the group a determined look.

"Let's go and meet these guys again."

 _A/N: Francis and Zoey are in no way romantic in this. They are very close friends and share very personal matters with each other. Just thought I should clear that up in case of any confusion. Thanks for reading!_

 _Yobloc20_


	5. The Right Track

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'm really enjoying writing right now so I'm going to upload chapters regularly for the next while! This chapter was difficult enough to write as I'm not great at actually writing action and gunfights but I gave it my best shot XD Please favourite, review and enjoy! Valve owns all of the characters._

 **Chapter 5: The Right Track**

The big, makeshift saferoom door slowly creaked open. The black barrel of a sniper rifle emerged from the door.

"All clear?"

"I think so."

The four survivors crept out in single file, Ellis at the front, Coach and Rochelle in the middle and Nick at the back watching their six.

"Look! It's the bridge! We made it!" Ellis exclaimed, the other three unsure why he was so happy to see the stupid bridge they all were beginning to loathe. A flight of stairs is all that stood between them and the bridge.

"Damn, _I hate stairs._ " Coach wheezed as he began climbing the stairs with considerable fatigue. " _I second that_." Rochelle groaned in response.

When they reached the top, the girl and the man were already waiting for them. The young woman was leaning against the bridge with her arms folded while the man, who everyone now figured out was a biker due to his leather vest and sleeve tattoos, was leaning against the railing with a grin on his face. There was another guy with them who they hadn't seen before, he was sitting on the ground with his right leg extended out, the trouser leg was shredded and heavily bandaged. He was a dark skinned with a bald head. He wore a stained white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, with black suit trousers and black shoes. He looked like your typical office worker.

"Hey, you made it!" The girl called out.

"Yeah, we had no trouble at all…" Nick commented, his voice rich in sarcasm. "Hey you never told us there were three of you!" He added, pointing at the office worker.

"Yeah, that's Louis. His leg is a bit screwed at the minute as you can see." The biker informed. "Oh and I forgot to mention, I'm Francis and she's Zoey.

 _"_ _Zoey! So that's her name."_ Finally Ellis had got her name. It suited her.

Coach did the honours of introducing his group. "Well, you can just call me Coach. The suit is Nick, the girl is Rochelle and the kid is Ellis."

"Is Louis gonna be okay?" Rochelle asked, more out of manners than actual concern. He seemed to be fine at the moment. "I'll be alright." Louis replied. "Thanks for asking. Just a run-in with a witch." He had a friendly voice.

"So where are you guys headed?" Francis inquired. "New Orleans. Last survivin' military evac point nearby, apparently." Ellis stated. "You guys wanna come with us? You're more than welcome to."

Francis shook his head. "No thanks dude, we had our fill of the military." The group of four were curious what he meant by 'our fill'.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked with a raised eyebrow.

Francis sighed. "It's a long story but to put it bluntly, they don't like people like us. We're _carriers. They w_ anted us dead. We got out and ended up here."

Nick seemed intrigued by the biker's story. "Is that so…" He grumbled to himself.

"Well guys, we have good news and we have bad news." Zoey said as she stood up. "The good news first, _please_." Rochelle pleaded her, dreading the bad news. "Well we've had a change in heart; we're going to drop the bridge for you guys." The young woman informed them.

The group of four let out a collective sigh of relief before suddenly realising what the hell the bad news could be.

"The bad news, to actually lower the bridge, you're going to have to gas up the generator… Which is going to make one hell of a racket."

"Why does everything _never have enough gas?_ And why does everything nowadays make _so much goddamn noise_? It feels like the generator company knew the apocalypse was coming so they made them to screw everyone over." Nick conspired which made Louis laugh.

"I have to agree. Sometimes, I sometimes get the feeling that everything was set to screw us over." Louis replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

For that whole time, Ellis was too distracted to get into the conversation. Every few seconds he would have a quick glance over at Zoey. If he had thought she was pretty all the way up on the bridge, well she was downright _gorgeous_ up close. Unfortunately, Ellis got lost in thought and he realised he had been staring at her.

And she was now looking right back at him with a smile on her face but confusion in her eyes..

Ellis whipped his head back without any hesitation. " _Shit, now she's gonna think I'mma creep or somethin'."_ He thought to hoped she didn't notice his extremely red face as he pretended to be checking something on his gun.

"So, where did you guys get the car? It's pretty sweet." Francis asked. "At a mall back in Savannah. It was on display. Belonged to a guy named Jimmy Gibbs or something." Rochelle explained. "Oh is that the taco guy? I loved him!" Francis mockingly replied.

"No man! He was only the best damn stock car driver around!" Ellis butted in, a little bit annoyed that his childhood hero was just called a 'taco guy'. Rochelle laughed to herself at how flustered Ellis becomes at someone belittling Jimmy Gibbs.

He could be such a child at times.

"How does she handle?" Francis asked as odd small chat.

"A little to the left." Ellis responded with a grin. There was a brief moment of silence before Louis spoke up. "We should get you on your way. Take the elevator down and we'll cover you from up here on the bridge.

"Alright, sounds like a deal." Coach replied. "Thanks again for doing this." Zoey smiled at him. "Don't worry about it."

The four strolled over to the elevator and Rochelle pushed the button once everyone was in.

"Alright people." Coach began. "As soon as these doors open, haul ass and find gas!" The three nodded back in return. "And Ellis, keep your mind on finding gas cans, not the girl on the bridge." Coach said with a smirk.

"Oh ha ha, very funny."

The elevator doors slowly opened and the group moved out, Nick ran over to the generator and pressed a few buttons on it. A loud sputtering noise was coughed out of the generator and a few seconds later, the shriek of nearby infected cried out. "It's still got a little gas in it!" Nick informed as he stepped away from the machine and pulled back out his rifle.

The three on the bridge had taken position. Louis was on one of the catwalks, standing behind a Heavy Machine Gun. He looked visibly excited to use it. Zoey was standing on the other catwalk with a Hunting Rifle and a look of deep concentration on her face. " _She looks so badass with that gun._ " Ellis thought to himself with a smile, he truly believed that she was the perfect girl.

Francis stood on the balcony of the building that the bridge joined up with, an AK-47 Rifle cocked and ready in his hands.

"We go in two's!" Coach yelled. "Go! Move!" Coach and Rochelle ran through an alleyway on the other side of the street and out of sight. "Let's move, Overalls!" Nick called out before running down the main street and taking a left, Ellis trailing not too far behind.

The street was blocked off however; a large bus was parked in the middle of the road. There was still one building which entrance was still accessible.

"Through there!" Ellis yelled, pointing at the door of the building. Infected were now climbing over the bus which Ellis and Nick held off momentarily with gunfire.

The two burst through the door and closed it right behind them. It looked like a warehouse. There were crates of different sizes everywhere. Ellis thought about cracking a few open to see if there was anything of use inside but a violent banging on the door killed that thought.

"We don't have a lot of time! Keep looking!" Nick barked, urgency evident in his voice.

Ellis ran around the warehouse, but saw no gas cans. How could they expect to find gas cans in a warehouse? The door was now breaking off its hinges.

"Let's get out of here!" Nick yelled. Ellis spotted the loading bay door and ran over to it and frantically pulled tried the door but it wouldn't budge. "Nick what are we going to do? The door is-

Nick casually walked over and pressed a button beside the door which had on it in big, black writing: 'LOADING BAY DOOR'. The door began to slowly ascend.

" _Seriously_?" Nick questioned as Ellis scratched the back of his neck. "Oh I-I didn't see that…" Ellis explained, clearly embarrassed. The two heard a crash not too far behind their position and knew what it was. _They had gotten through the door._

Nick quickly dropped to the ground and rolled under the small gap the door had produced, Ellis following in suit.

The pair didn't really know where they were, but the noise of a heavy sounding gun pointed them back to where the bridge was. "We got to keep looking!" Nick instructed as he ran out of the alleyway. Neither of the two knew _exactly_ where to start looking for gas. They ran back out onto another street, confused and beginning to get frustrated. They both picked off advancing infected with ease. Suddenly, a coughing noise was heard not too far away.

"You hear that? Smoker. Eyes peeled." Nick warned as he scanned the rooftops. Ellis nodded in response.

The southerner, however, spotted gold. "Nick! Look!" He called out as he swiftly sprinted to a red pickup truck. In the back were two gas cans, filled as near to the top as possible. " _Finally._ " Nick sighed with relief. "Let's get these back."

The pair grabbed one can each and made their way back towards the bridge. Perhaps things were starting to look up.

And as if they had just jinxed themselves, something slimy wrapped around Nicks waist and began dragging him back down the street.

"El-Ellis!" The conman wheezed as the air was being crushed out of his body. "He-help!" Ellis had nothing sharp to cut the tongue so he had to go for the Smoker. He followed the tongue up to the roof of a building with the scope of his sniper. He caught sight of the deformed creature and took aim. Sucking in a breath, the mechanic silenced everything around him and steadied his aim. _Then he let everything release_.

The sound of an explosion on the roof and a poof of smoke confirmed that Ellis had made the shot. He ran over to Nick to check on him, only to found him trying to untangle himself from the Smokers tongue. "Thanks." He panted, catching his breath. "Let's… Let's get back before something else tries to _kill me_."

 **Back at the bridge**

The three on the bridge covered Ellis and Nicks return to the generator, with two gas cans.

"Great! You made it back!" Louis yelled down. "Go on and fill it up. We got your back." Nick gave Louis a thumbs up before proceeding to pour the contents of the gas can into the generator.

"Hey ummm Ellis?" Zoey shouted over, gesturing the young man to come closer to her. Ellis was confused as he walked over to the girl of his dreams. She then dropped something at him. He caught it more out of reflex than he was expecting it. It was a bottle of pills. He looked back up at her.

"You're gonna need it." She explained.

Ellis gave her a smile. "Thanks Zoey."

"No problem." She replied while returning the same smile.

The ground began to shake a little. The survivors heard vicious roars in the not-so-far distance. "That can only mean one thing." Nick muttered.

Rochelle came sprinting from around the corner; a gas can in one arm, her Desert Eagle in her hand and a look of fear in her face. "We got a problem." She reported, visually shaken. Coach came bolting from the same corner with a gas can in each arm. "We got a tank!" He yelled as he reunited with the others.

The monster came barrelling around the same corner, it was so intimidating and unnaturally massive. _And extremely pissed off_


	6. Desperate Times

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'm happy at how the story is panning out and I have big plans for it. This story will probably be long enough. I will write other one shot stories alongside this (Whenever I start those I'm not too sure.) As for now, I'm going to keep writing chapters and keep progressing with the story! Favorite, review and enjoy! All the characters belong to Valve._

 **Chapter 6: Desperate Times**

It didn't take the group long to snap out of their trance of fear and actually open fire at the tank. The beast roared as hails of bullets pelted against his hard skin, merely a nuisance to the monster. The four on the ground spread out as the tank rumbled its way at them. It suddenly turned its sights on Nick and began eating the ground between itself and the conman.

Nick ran in a loop around the tank and back up the street, wanting to get the tank into Louis' sights so he could lay into the monster with the Heavy Machine Gun. "Louis!" Nick yelled in panic, "For fuck sake! **Shoot it**!"

Louis instantly snapped into action and began raining high powered hell on the tank, slowing the beast down. The rest of the survivors joined in and fired at the beast.

The tank showed its pure strength as it ripped a concrete slab from the path on the side of the road and hurled it at the group of four.

Ellis was unfortunately crouching at the front of the group and took the brunt of the hit. He let out a horrible cry of pain, the concrete slab crushing him. Nick and Coach quickly tried to pull the burden off of the young man while Rochelle and the three others continued to fire at the beast as it began to advance at the group of four again.

Much to the relief of the survivors, the tank fell suddenly, defeated, onto the ground, merely a few feet away from the survivors.

Coach and Nick finally succeeded at lifting the concrete off of Ellis. The mechanic groaned in pain holding his arm, which didn't look right at all. The pair lifted him back to his feet. "Are you alright?" Nick asked. Ellis simply shook his head, still holding his arm and wincing in pain. Coach quickly ran over to the generator and started filling it up with the three gas cans himself and Rochelle had acquired.

"Is your friend okay?" Francis asked; a look of concern on his face. "His arm is busted, but I think he'll be okay!" Rochelle responded. Nick took the pills from the boys' waist and opened the bottle, pouring a few onto his palm. "Here, take this. It's all we have right now." Ellis took the pills and swallowed them swiftly. More infected came bolting at the group, their short period of recuperation coming to an end. Nick picked up the mechanics sniper rifle for him and handed it to him. "You think you can shoot?" Ellis took it and seemed to be able to hold it. "Should be." He replied.

"It needs one more!" Coach yelled as he picked back up his SPAS-12 and rejoined the group. Nick kicked the tanks corpse in anger. "Goddamn it!" He cursed; luck was just never on their side. Nick looked over and gestured his head. "Let's get looking." He said bluntly and the two took off in search, Ellis and Coach waiting behind.

"I can't wait to get out of here…" Nick exclaimed, tired and fed-up. "Nothing good has happened since we got to this town."

Nick had a point. The pair advanced, firing into the zombies that lunged at them. The street they were in was fairly empty. Rochelle then came up with an idea. "There was a mechanic's shop not too far from here!" She remarked. Nick raised an eyebrow, expecting an explanation as to how she would know this. "When Coach and I were on the way back to the bridge, I noticed it out of the corner of my eye." Rochelle explained.

"Good enough for me." Nick stated. The pair set off through an alley, Nick following Rochelle's lead.

 **Back at the bridge**

The survivors didn't have much trouble with the infected, the combined firepower of five heavily armed people made it fairly easy. Coach was still concerned about Ellis.

"You holding up okay?" Coach questioned. Ellis shrugged, trying to play it off. "My arm is still pretty sore but I think I'm those pills are workin." Coach lay his hand on the young mans' slumped shoulder. "You'll be okay Ellis." The mechanic gave him a pained grin. "I hope so man."

Up on the balcony, the concern was also rather high. Francis was worried about Rochelle. They had been gone for some time now. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Zoey on the other hand, did not like the look of Ellis' arm, it was clearly broken. She hoped Nick and Rochelle would be back soon. She admitted to herself that she liked these guys a lot, even Nick who seemed nice enough when he tried to be. She was worried for them too however. She knew they had to be carriers as well. She knew what the military did with carriers. She also knew this group was walking right into the military's hands. She had to say something. It would be the last straw if she knew she let this group of people go to their inevitable death from the people that were supposed to be saving them. She knew this because the exact same thing happened to her. But she doubted they would listen to her. _But she had to do something._

Two familiar faces came running down the main street, a hoard of infected hot on their heels. Louis began mowing down the zombies, hooting and hollering in the process. "Woo! Yeah! Who's your Daddy?!"

Zoey spotted the hunter which was lurking in the shadow of a van, ready to pounce and but she placed a round right through its head, the hoodied body falling limp to the ground as it let out a rather pathetic yelp.

Nick and Rochelle made it back to the generator; both with a gas can each, just to be safe. Rochelle filled it up with haste and tossed it to the side when it was empty and pressed a button. The bridge began to make some noise.

"Finally!" Nick yelled as they all walked over the bridge. "Hey, thanks again for the help, couldn't have done that without y'all." Couch began with a smile. "Anytime. I know you would've done the same for us." Louis returned. "Good luck with New Orleans. Stay safe." Francis added quietly. Zoey began to feel extremely guilty as the bridge began to lower.

"Good luck to you too. Thanks for the help." Rochelle commented with a smile. "Yeah, uh goodbye y'all. Thanks for the help." Ellis added, he seemed distracting and his voice sounded emotionless. Zoey felt like she was saying goodbye to these people as they left for their certain doom. "Thanks. Sorry I was an asshole to you guys earlier." Nick quickly mentioned. The bridge was now fully down and the platform beam began to creak open, with some difficulty. "Em, goodbye and good luck." Is all Zoey could manage to say, she couldn't bring herself to warn them. She doubted they would believe her.

The platform of the bridge slammed down and the group of four were ready to make the final stretch back to the Jimmy Gibbs.

Infected began to race to the bridge from the streets and the alleys. Ellis was feeling pretty torn about leaving. " _I hope this isn't the last time I see that girl._ " He thought to himself. He turned to start running to the car and then he saw it.

Everyone saw it. Everyone's hearts sank when they did.

On the other side of the bridge, was a rampant tank beside the overturned and destroyed Jimmy Gibbs stock car. It saw the group of four.

 _They were trapped._


	7. Rerouted

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Before I begin, I would like to thank Harry-Flashman for giving me some good advice on writing skills which will help a lot so go check his profile out! This chapter is a significant one in the story as you probably can see some emerging problems with the survivors. You might see it after you read it. (Don't worry if you don't, it's subtle enough :P) Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 7: Rerouted**

The group just froze. No one knew what to do, where to go. They were trapped between a vast hoard of hungry, snarling infected and a quickly approaching mass of muscle. Time seemed to freeze as each survivors' brain came up blank as to what to do. They were caught. All noise around them was drowned out. They didn't feel the constant rain on their skin anymore. _This was the end._

It was Zoey's shouting that brought them back to reality. "You guys! Deal with the tank!" The girl turned to Francis "You hold the zombies off!" Francis simply nodded and got to work, firing round after round into the crowd.

Zoey then turned to Louis "Louis! The ladder!" She commanded. Zoey found herself taking charge, everyone following her every word. Louis did not hesitate as he quickly hobbled across the catwalk to the other side of the bridge, using the railing as support.

The tank was slowed down at the groups' gunfire, buying them some time. Francis and Zoey began mowing down the advancing zombies. Louis got to the other side and began furiously kicking a latch on the ladder.

The tank was getting much closer. Louis had no choice but to put weight onto his injured leg. He hissed but ignored the pain and continued. The latch snapped off the metal ladder as it loudly slid downwards and landed not too far from the group.

"Get up here quick!" Louis yelled down. Rochelle sprinted over to the ladder and quickly clambered the ladder to safety. "You next, Overalls!" Nick ordered as the mechanic had to climb the ladder with one arm which proved to be a difficult task. All Ellis heard was faint yelling and gunshots. Both the tank and the infected were closing in on them.

Coach moved ahead and began moving up the ladder as Nick spotted the gas can he had brought from the mechanics' earlier. He gave a small grin. " _Burn in hell you freakish bastards."_ His FN-SCAR let out a burst of three rounds, each hitting the can and setting it ablaze, proving the infected no longer a threat as they shrieked and screeched as their skin turned a charred black crisp. The conman leisurely climbed the ladder. On his way up, he saw the tank succumb to the fire and topple over, defeated.

When he got to the top, he found the rest of his group sitting on the ground, out of breath. Louis pulled the ladder back up behind him. He seemed to only now realize just how tired he actually was, his legs feeling cramped and sore. Nick sucked in a few breaths before glancing over at Louis. "Thanks. You saved our ass big time." He said in between deep breaths. Louis shook his head and smirked. "Don't mention it. Couldn't just watch you guys die." He responded.

Francis and Zoey came running up the catwalk, guns still in their hands. "Are you guys alright?!" Zoey questioned, looking them over for any immediate serious injuries. "Yeah, thanks to you." Coach remarked as he began to get back to his feet. "We would be dead if it weren't for y'all so thanks a bunch." Ellis added. "Yeah thanks for saving us." Rochelle began. "But we have a big problem. The car is screwed." The group suddenly remembered the tank had destroyed it. Ellis was genuinely close to being in tears. "Ah damn! Shit not the car man!" Nick rubbed his forehead as he sighed. "Great, our ticket to New Orleans is now fucked. Anyone got any other bright ideas?" Nicks' statement was met with silence. Zoey cleared her throat before speaking up.

"You guys could stick with us until you figure it out?" She suggested in a soft voice. Nick shrugged as she gave a look back at her two friends who didn't seem too angry about the idea. "Maybe, how long are you guys staying up here?" Coach asked. "Until we get enough supplies to sail out to the Florida Keys." Francis explained. "The Florida Keys? Why would you wanna go there?" Rochelle questioned.

"We heard it was zombie-free. Maybe we could live out the apocalypse there." Zoey commented. The group of four looked at each other before Coach stated "Yeah, we'll stay with y'all until we figure another way outta here." Zoey nodded while Francis and Louis whispered something to each other and started laughing. The sky was now a vast black and the rain was finally dying down into a lighter beat.

"Alright let's get inside, follow me." Francis said as he started walking back towards the building, with the others following behind him.

The inside of the building was nice enough, it had to be said. They were on the second floor; the stairs that led to the bar downstairs was heavily blocked. The owner of the bar obviously lived here; it had a small kitchen consisting of a fridge, an oven, a countertop and a microwave. There was a bathroom, but with no running water unfortunately. A single bedroom with a double bed was in the flat while a coach sat in front of a tiny television in a room that joined up with the kitchen. A large table with ammunition, medical equipment and empty food cans, sat by itself in the middle of the last room in the flat. The colour of the walls was a sickly beige while there were a few paintings hung up on the wall. The light in the bedroom and the sitting room lights did not work so a lamp in each room had to suffice as a light source, making those rooms slightly darker and really, a bit more relaxing than the other rooms.

Ellis was led over to the couch so someone could check on his arm. Rochelle went to the bathroom to inspect herself in front of the mirror. Coach, Louis, Francis and Nick sat at the table, having a rather awkward conversation.

Ellis was exhausted. He didn't know what time it was but it was very dark outside so he guessed it was around 8 or so. Today had been an eventful day, to say the least.

Zoey walked in holding a first aid kit and gave him a smile. Ellis was expected himself to get nervous but he didn't feel it. Perhaps it was because he was just so tired. She sat down beside him. "I'm gonna check on your arm if that's okay with you." Ellis gave her a grin. "Of course ma'am. Work away." Zoey giggled at how she called him "ma'am" but continued. His arm looked bruised at the place she expected it was broken. Ellis noticed how nice and soft her touch was. She unzipped the first aid and took out the cold spray and began applying to the area to reduce the swelling. The spray smelled weird. She then took out some bandages and began wrapping his arm which Ellis had to hiss and curse to himself every time she rolled it around his arm. When she was done, she left the room momentarily and brought back some pain pills and some bottled water. The mechanic swallowed the pills before taking a swig out of the bottle and handing it back to her. "Thanks a bunch ma'am, awful kind of you." Ellis remarked as Zoey gave him a grin. "Don't worry about it Ellis." She replied. "Oh and call me Zoey." The young woman added with a laugh.

"Understood, _Zoey._ "

It might have been the light but he doubted it, but right there and then, Ellis swore to himself that this girl was the most beautiful he had ever seen. She was so amazing, and she was a deadshot with a gun too. "You look tired Ellis; you can sleep in the bed tonight." Zoey said as she stood up. "Um okay, thanks!" Ellis responded. She showed him where the bedroom was. "Are you sure I can sleep in here? I could take the couch if you wanted." Zoey shook her head. "It's fine Ellis." Ellis strolled in before he almost collapsed on the bed. "Thanks Zoey, thanks for saving my ass today." He commented as she brushed a brown strand of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing. I was hardly going to leave you down there now was I?" She replied with a laugh. "Yeah I guess, night Zoey." She smiled at him "Goodnight Ellis." She closed the door behind her.

Ellis kicked off his work boots and hopped out of his worksuit. He placed his cap on the bedside table and climbed into the bed before turning off the lamp.

Now in complete darkness, the young man thought about his day, from being abandoned by CEDA, to kicking zombie ass, to meeting plenty of new friends, to stealing Jimmy Gibbs Jr.'s stock car to meeting the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Even with these nice thoughts, Ellis drifted off into a world of nightmares.

He dreamt about everyone he loved and was close to him had become infected.

 _And he did nothing to help them_


	8. Doubts

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I had this big plan on how the story went and I was happy with it but now I am thinking up of all these new ideas of how the story could go and I'm sort of confused whether I stick to the plan or I change plot of the story (No heavy changes just gradually ease it towards the new plot.) For the risk of it possibly being better. I don't know… I'll think about it. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all characters._

 **Chapter 8: Doubts**

Zoey quietly shut the bedroom door behind her as she left Ellis to get some rest. She thought Ellis was a really nice guy and a gentleman. His accent was pretty funny too. She walked back into the main room where Francis and Coach were now finally having a free-flowing conversation about their favourite band. She was a bit surprised that Coach listened to rock but Zoey had learned to never judge a book by its cover. Nick just sat there, disinterested in the conversation, fiddling with one of his rings in his hand. Rochelle had returned from the bathroom and was now leaning against the wall, smirking to herself about the conversation that was unfolding in front of her. Louis had moved himself into the sitting room and was now relaxing on the couch by himself. Zoey then began to wonder about who was going to sleep where.

When it was just the three of them, the system was pretty clear. Louis would usually get the bed and whoever wasn't on watch would take the couch. Now there were seven. Ellis had already gone to bed by her orders; she estimated that two people could manage to sleep on the couch, in a sitting position. That left four. She doubted anybody would share the bed with someone else as it wasn't big enough for two people to spend the night without making contact. Minus the one person that would be on watch, that left three people sleeping rough on the floor.

Zoey sighed to herself; maybe they could look for sleeping bags or airbeds tomorrow.

"So you're telling me you've never heard of the _Midnight Riders?!"_ Coach remarked in near outrage. "Shit, you said you know good music!" Zoey was sure she had heard that name before somewhere but she couldn't remember where. She just listened in on Coach and Francis' debate, until she saw Nick gesturing her over to him.

She strolled over to him before he gestured for her to come closer. Zoey leaned down to the conman.

"How's Ellis holding up?" He questioned with concern on his hush voice.

"He's fine. He's resting in the bedroom." Zoey answered. Nick nodded before continuing "How's his arm?"

"It might be broken; I'm not 100 percent sure." She replied.

Nick gave her a look of disbelief. "Broken? Fuck." Is all he could mutter before leaning back in his chair, ending the conversation.

Francis rose from his seat and stretched his back. "I suggest we get some rest. We got a big day tomorrow." He declared. He then began to wonder the same question as Zoey had earlier. "Who's sleeping where?" Zoey stood up and began assigning people as she planned. "Two people can take the couch; Ellis is in the bed and one person on watch." She stated. "Rochelle can have the couch with Louis." Francis offered. Rochelle was about to debate the decision when she realised that she needed a good night's rest and dropped it. "Thanks." She responded with a smile to Francis, one in which he returned. "I'll keep watch. I won't be able to sleep tonight anyway." Nick mumbled, eyes looking at the floor. That left Coach, Francis and Zoey who already knew they were the unlucky one's who got the floor. "Wake me up when you want to get some sleep, I'll take over then." Francis explained to Nick. Francis didn't really mind sleeping on the ground too much; he had slept in worse places.

Zoey walked into the sitting room and lay down in the corner. She unzipped her jacket and rolled it up into a ball, using it as a pillow. Francis sat against the wall in the main room, arms crossed. He looked ready to jump up and attack intruders at any time during the night. Coach was already panned out on the floor and on the way to his slumber, the big man was exhausted after a day of fighting and the uncomfortable floor didn't seem to bother him much. Nick had pulled a chair over to the window, watching the light rain run down it. He had his AK-47 Rifle in his lap, a bottle of water in his hands.

The lights were switched off. The place was pitch dark besides the slight moonlight which reflected through the windows. The only noise was the low breathing of the survivors and the weak raindrops against the building.

Nick sighed to himself; he needed this time to think. So much had happened in one day which started on top of a burning hotel, watching helicopters which were meant to save him buzz off into little dots the distance. Strange to think that it was ending in an oddly relaxing flat with three people he barely knew and three people he didn't know at all. In a way, he was glad he had met these guys. They weren't **all** awful. Truth is, Nick would be dead if he had gone his separate way like he planned to back at the hotel. He wondered why he had to go to Savannah. Why he didn't go to Vegas or Atlantic City for the apocalypse, instead, he was stuck in a river port town with six people that were still very much strangers to him but he had to trust them with his life.

" _Crazy, fucking world we live in now._ " He thought to himself with a smirk as he got himself ready for a long night.

 _"_ _Why did you let me go Zoey? You should have sacrificed yourself!"_

 _"_ _Bill please! I'm so sorry! I miss you, please come back!"_

 _"_ _You let me die, you coward. I could have lived. But you let me go."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry Bill! I-I am so sorry-_

 _"_ _Sorry isn't going to bring me back you coward_ _. I'm dead because of_ _ **you**_ _."_

 _"_ _I-I didn't know you were going to-_

 _"_ _It's too late Zoey. I'm dead because of you. I am never coming back because of you. It's your entire fault."_

 _"_ _Bill no!"_

 _"_ _Bill!"_

"Bill!"

Zoey realised she was now awake. "It was just a nightmare." She assured herself over and over, trying to hold the tears back which were now streaming down her face. It was the same goddamn nightmare every time. But she would always hate herself a little bit after it even though she knew there was nothing she could have done. She lay her head back down against her jacket and took a few deep breaths, attempting to regain her composure. She had to calm down.

Zoey found herself getting up and quietly creeped out of the sitting room into the main room. There was Nick, who snapped a look at Zoey, he saw the small, slim figure and knew immediately who it was.

"What are you doing?" He questioned roughly. "I'm going to the bathroom." She answered. Nick nodded and turned back to the window. Zoey thread lightly down the hall and past the bedroom, and then into the small bathroom. There were no windows in the bathroom so she could turn on the light and she closed the door behind her.

She walked over to the mirror and examined herself, battered and bruised. Her eyes were red from crying. She looked awful. She reset her ponytail and looked into her own eyes in the mirror.

" _Get your shit together, Zoey._ "

She leaned back against the wall and slid down it, hugging her knees. She just needed to be alone. She decided to get her mind off of Bill by thinking about the new people. She was happy they were with them. She was relieved actually. It was important that she warned them to stay away from the military now that they were with them. She couldn't live with herself if she let them go to their uninspected deaths. She liked them a lot; they seemed like decent people that can pull their own weight.

She rose to her feet again and left the bathroom, turning off the light behind her and began sneaking back to the sitting room.

Nick saw Zoey pass by again but didn't say anything this time as she snuck into the sitting room. Nick had heard her earlier, when she was in the sitting room. She was mumbling in her sleep. Nick guessed that she was probably having a nightmare. She most likely lost someone close to her, like everyone in the apocalypse had. Except for Nick, he never got close to anyone, never made long term friendships or relationships. He had made that mistake when he got married. Biggest mistake of his life. He wondered where she was now.

" _Probably a witch._ " He thought to himself with a smirk.

He gazed back out the window and lost himself in thought.

Coach was the first to wake up. He had slept soundly enough, his neck was extremely sore from being in an uncomfortable position for so long. He rubbed his eyes and gazed over at Francis, who was now inspecting his Pump-Action Shotgun. He and Nick had traded places during the night as planned as he saw Nick panned out on the ground, facing the wall. Coach audibly yawned as he didn't want to end up with a belly full of lead for startling the biker. Francis gave a quick look at Coach and turned back again. "Morning Coach." Francis said a bit quietly, not to wake up the others. "Morning, any problems over the night?" Francis shook his head. "Nope, dead quiet." Coach nodded and walked over to the table, taking a seat before rubbing his groggy eyes again. "Any idea what time it is?" Coach asked as he picked up his gun holster which was on the table and clicked it back into place around his waist. "I don't know, around nine-ish?" Francis replied with a shrug. There was a brief pause before Coach continued "Should I get the others up?" Francis turned his head to look at him and nodded "Probably is a good idea."

It was a new day. A new day in the apocalypse. A day the survivors could not take for granted as any day could be their last.


	9. Day by day

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. The story is moving along nicely I have to say. I now know where the story is going and I can concentrate on that now which is helpful. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 9: Day by day**

Getting everyone to get up was a difficult task. Coach got moans, groans and "Five more minutes" but eventually, the group trudged into the kitchen one-by-one still half asleep. They were low on food, only around ten or eleven cans of food left over. Rochelle kept getting the suspicion that they were taking too much from this group of three. She didn't want to become a burden on this group now that Ellis needed medical attention for his arm. She wanted to prove to this group that they were more than capable to pull their own weight and be an asset to the people that had took them in. She thought about this while eating cold beans from a can.

Ellis was the last to get up, he strolled into the main room where all the survivors were eating their 'breakfast' and muttered "Morning y'all." He was directed to a seat at the table with a can of summer fruits. It wouldn't have been the mechanic's ideal breakfast but beggars can't be choosers.

There was a silence in the room which no one really seemed to mind. Everyone was too busy wolfing down their meal to have a conversation. Everyone was clearly hungry but they needed to find more food today. All were starving after the previous day of fighting. Francis was the first to finish as he put his tin down and looked around the room. "What's the plan for today, people?" The biker questioned with a mouthful of whatever he was eating. "A few of us could go to town and look for food or ammo." Suggested Louis. "And medical equipment for Ellis and Louis." Rochelle added in, still concerned about both men's health.

"It shouldn't take the whole group to get that stuff." Zoey stated as she ate the last of her cold spaghetti hoops. "We should send three or four to get supplies and that." The group sorted themselves as to who was doing what. Coach, Nick and Zoey would go into the town on a supply run while Francis and Rochelle would see the extent of the damage to the Jimmy Gibbs and then search down by the docks for anything useful. Ellis and Louis however, were forced to stay at the flat.

Louis let out a sigh. He was always stuck in this flat. At least he would have Ellis to talk to this time. Ellis seemed to have the same opinion "Ah no! I'll be fine! I could like try to-" Ellis tried to protest with the others but was met by a round of 'no's'. Ellis slumped back in his chair, deflated. He always wanted to be where the action was, he was never one to sit out on the chance of some fun. The others wouldn't exactly have called it fun.

The group started to get up and getting their equipment together for the day, Ellis and Louis watching on in a tiny bit of envy as their fellow survivors retrieved their weapons and started moving for the door, stocked and ready for their respective tasks. "We're going to take the ladder down, we'll yell up at you guys when we're back." Francis explained to the two injured men.

Nick took a look back at Ellis with a smirk, sensing the envy from the young man and said "Hey Ellis, we'll bring you back a toy if you behave okay?" The group started laughing as Ellis's face turned slightly red out of embarrassment and an unusual frown appeared on his face. "Ha ha, very funny." He commented, trying to defend himself. And with the sound of the survivors chuckling to themselves as they closed the door behind them, they were gone.

Ellis looked over at Louis who was covering his huge smile. "You too?" Ellis questioned as Louis burst into laughter. "He got you good man." He said in between laughs. Ellis shook his head and gave a small grin.

"Okay it was a _little_ funny."

The two men shared a chuckle with each other before a content silence before Ellis shuffled forward on his seat and propped his elbows on the table. "So how did you meet your friends?" Ellis questioned, a little bit nervous that it might be a sensitive issue. Louis took a slight pause before clearing his throat. "Emm, I met up with Francis at this city not too long after the first outbreak and ehhh." He paused again and looked to be in thought before sighing. "And we met this other guy Bill not too long later." He said, his voice sounded drained of the earlier optimism. Ellis added two plus two and realized this 'Bill' guy was no longer around. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want." Ellis stated as he gazed at Louis.

He shook his head and took a breath. "It's okay." He said with a small smile before continuing "We decided to stick together and we tried so many goddamn times to get away from all this, we eventually thought we were saved by the military but they tried to kill us and we escaped. Long story short, we decided to get up on this here bridge so we could think a plan out, we were about to raise the bridge and it broke down halfway. We were going to die"

Ellis's eyes were wide open listening to the story.

"And it was Bill who jumped down to his certain death. He ran back and turned the generator back on, knowing well he wasn't going to make it back. He saved our lives and I am forever in his debt."

Ellis was too shocked to reply. He tried to but only a weird sound from the back of his throat came out. He composed himself. "Wow. Sorry Louis. I didn't know..." Louis shook his head again. "It's okay Ellis. I miss Bill but I have to stay strong and move on. I'll never forget him though." Ellis nodded as a guilty silence washed over them.

"Zoey was affected the worst." Louis said glumly, breaking the silence. "How do you mean?" Ellis replied. "She saw him almost as a father; we don't mention him around her. I advise you do the same." Louis warned. Ellis nodded again, still in shock. The silence was back again.

The silence was much longer this time. Perhaps a minute or two before Ellis made his best attempt to cheer the man up. "Did I ever tell ya 'bout the time my buddy Keith and I set up a lawnmower bumper-car ride in Keith's back yard? Mower blade wounds over ninety percent of his body. I didn't even run him over; he somehow managed to fall under his own."

Louis cracked into a quiet laugh which gradually got louder the more he thought about it. "How did he manage to fall under his own?" Louis was barely able to say from laughing. Ellis shrugged and gave a grin. "Dunno, Keith has been through worse though." Louis looked at the mechanic in disbelief "Wait, how did he do worse than that?!" Louis enquired.

Ellis flicked through his mind at all of Keith's misadventures and took his pick.

Francis and Rochelle stared at the overturned stock car. Ellis would be heartbroken to see his dream car like this. "Wow, that tank beat the shit into it." Francis commented, still looking at the car. "Yup. It's broken alright." Rochelle replied with gloom in her voice, annoyed at herself for giving herself false hope that the car would be in any way salvageable. "We got to find another way to New Orleans." She sighed. Francis shrugged as he looked around them for any lurking infected. "You could stay with us. In Rayford. Forever." Francis joked as Rochelle gave him a questionable look and a smirk.

"Yeah! I wanna stay in this crappy town with a biker and his crappy vest." Rochelle replied with a giggle. "You hate my vest? Sorry, this isn't going to work out." Francis remarked and they both laughed.

"So, shall we go check out these docks then?" Rochelle asked. "Alright, race you there!" Francis said with a smirk. "Boy, you can't be for real." Rochelle responded with a laugh.

The pair headed in the direction of the docks in cheery form. The grey sky started to look less depressing as the survivors could be happy that it wasn't raining for a change.

Maybe things will change.


	10. Pulling Together

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Chapter 10 already? Dammit I've been writing fast. And here's to ten more! (I'm not sure.) As always, I appreciate the reviews more than you would ever know so please don't hesitate! Anything you want to say to me or about the story, feel free (Except hate.) Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 10: Pulling Together**

The sky was grey. Bright blankets of low hanging clouds blocked off any of the blue sky or the glorious sun to make an appearance but it was bright and at least it didn't look like it was going to rain. Three survivors manoeuvred through the streets, trying to make as little unnecessary noise as possible. They hadn't encountered any difficult problems, they were well able to handle the idle infected, who only noticed them when it was too late to even react while Coach had popped a Boomer before it could get itself within a dangerous proximity of the search group. They had found some boxes of cereal, more bottled water in a half looted store and much to their luck, two sleeping bags in a pawn shop, as well as some beef jerky.

Things were going relatively well. But the three never lost the feeling of realism. This was the _apocalypse._ Things could go bad at any minute and they had to be ready for it.

"So eh, _cupcake._ " Nick began mockingly, knowing well the name irked the young woman. "It's _Zoey_ , Colonel Sanders." She snapped back with narrowed eyes. "Yeah um Zoey, how did you manage to make it this long?" Nick questioned. Zoey was unsure whether or not he was genuinely curious or if he was insulting her again as the question possibly implied. She went with the former. "I already knew had to shoot a gun before all this. It helped." She said bluntly. Nick shrugged and kept an eye out for anything of interest.

He could sense he was pissing her off but he decided to continue anyway. "I have to thank you though; you _actually_ managed to shut Overalls up for once." Nick remarked as Zoey raised an eyebrow. " _Overalls_? _"_ She repeated, confused. "Ellis." Nick corrected himself. " _I did?_ When?" She asked, still confused. "When we first met you guys, he couldn't say a goddamn word around you. First time he has been quiet since I've met the bastard." Nick explained.

The pair heard Coach give a muffled laugh as he listened in, knowing _exactly_ what Nick was talking about. "Why?" Zoey questioned, remembering how she could barely understand Ellis yesterday. Nick thought for a moment. Ellis would be upset if he found out he had told Zoey about his feelings but it would be hilarious to see Ellis attempt to talk to Zoey after that discovery. He weighed up each option and decided to go for the much unused moral high ground. Nick just shrugged again. "No idea. It was pretty hilarious though." Zoey seemed to not be listening anymore. "Yeah…" She faintly said as the group kept moving.

Suddenly, the group heard hysterical laughter, but it didn't sound normal. It sounded very psychotic and disturbing. And nearby. "I hear one of those Jockey bastards about…" Nick muttered warily, looking over his shoulder to watch his back. "I hate those crazy ass back humpers." Coach said in a low tone. The three continued with caution.

"Look over there!" Coach pointed down the street to what looked like a pharmacy. The sign above it read 'PHARM'. The 'ACY' had become faded and unclear. The three moved stealthily towards the store. Nick observed a stumbling infected with caution and pulled his AK-47 Rifle over his back and was now gripping his frying pan. The infected man suddenly jolted back at the sound of the advancing survivors. Before it could even react, Nick smashed it square on the forehead with his melee which let out a *SPANG*. The skull of the zombie cracking easily under the force of the hit, almost like an egg. It fell limp to the ground. Nick gave a small sneer at the corpse as the other two stepped past him in silence and into the store.

The place was generally in a good state. Most of the produce was still on the shelves. There was no blood or bodies around the store. It actually looked fairly untouched. There was however, a shattered window over by the second entrance, broken glass covering the floor in that area of the pharmacy. They heard the crazy laughter again. The three all knew they had to scavenge quickly.

The three were quick to get searching for anything of value, which there was abundance of to the relief of the survivors. Medicine, bandages, disinfectant were all swiped from the shelves, and Coach found some bottles of pain killers from behind the counter. There were even some energy bars on the actual counter which they didn't hesitate on taking; any food was useful to them.

"I'm gonna go search 'round the back." Coach informed as he walked out to the back room of the pharmacy. Nick nodded "Don't wonder too far." He commented as he moved over to the broken window. Zoey continued to search but didn't find any valuable supplies; they had already picked the place clean of anything valuable.

Suddenly, Nick let out a pained yell as he crashed into one of the shelves, knocking it over with a loud crash; its contents spilling onto the tile floor. Zoey swung her Hunting Rifle back from her shoulder and into her hands. There was a wretched creature latched onto Nick's back. "GET IT OFF!" Nick shouted desperately, trying to fight the mutation off his back. Zoey stood there trying to get a good shot. Whenever the creature lined up in her sights, it would violently jolt Nick in the way, as if it knew what she was doing. She didn't know what to do. The thing laughed crazily and pulled him back.

Coach ran in from the back room, holding his shotgun by the barrel. He jabbed the creature in its bloody face and it fell onto the ground, staggering back. Coach switched ends of the shotgun and rapidly pulled the trigger, sending a hail of shells into the mutation. It was probably dead after one shot. It fell dead and with its last breath, it let out a defeated chuckle. Zoey had never seen one of those before in her travels in the infection. The infected are changing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She heard Nick yell behind her. Zoey turned around and saw the conman staring at her, rage evident in his steel eyes. "I-I tried to get a shot. It kept- Zoey tried to explain herself but Nick wasn't having it. "Oh I'm sure! I know you don't like me, but the least you can do is help me when I'm being ridden like a _goddamn horse_ over here!" Nick butted in. "Nick! Enough!" Coach intervened before things got ugly. "We don't got time for this shit! We gotta keep moving!" The big man exclaimed. Nick stormed out of the store. Zoey was about to follow when Coach stuck out a hand to stop her.

"Don't mind him girl. He just took it the wrong way. Don't let him get to you." Coach explained, look of sympathy on his aging face. Zoey just nodded in response and left the pharmacy. Coach took a deep sigh before following in suit.

 **Back at the docks**

Francis knew his way around the docks. He had been here before, after all. His group had passed through here on the way to the bridge about a week ago. It felt like yesterday. Any of the boats that remained at the docks were in a bad state. Riddled with holes, rusty and old or even half submerged in the water. Rochelle walked ahead of him. Francis grinned to himself. Rochelle was an interesting woman, to say the least; Francis couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was extremely attractive and shared the same ' _In-your-face_ ' humour that he did. " _If only I had met you before all this shit._ " Francis thought to himself.

Their scavenge at the docks was not going well. It was a long shot to begin with. What were they going to find of use at the docks? Francis saw at the corner of his eye some infected sprinting behind him. He snapped around and fired two shots at either zombie, a pump in between. They both fell in a bloody heap. "Too close." The biker said to himself. He turned his attention back on Rochelle.

She was unloading a magazine into a small group of advancing zombies. Her accuracy was superb; she caught some in the head, crumbling in on themselves. The reporter was more than able to look after herself.

She looked back at Francis, a look of frustration on her face. "I don't think there is much here of use to us." She remarked. Francis nodded "I was thinking the same thing." He replied. The sound of the water gently crashing into the battered sea wall was soothing but this wasn't the place to relax. They were silent for a moment. Both of them knew they should probably keep looking for something but they also doubted there was anything useful here. All this search was succeeding in doing was bringing back memories of Bill for Francis, which didn't help.

"Shall we keep looking?" Rochelle asked, snapping Francis out of his trance. "Uh, yeah sure." He replied in a stutter, making Rochelle look at him with a raised eyebrow. "You okay?" She questioned in slight concern for the man. "Eh, I'm- Yeah I'm good." Francis reassured her unconvincingly. She gave him another look before they continued on down the harbour. Not sure what they were looking for in particular.

"Francis, if something is on your mind, just say it." Rochelle urged him. "It's honestly nothing." Francis responded in a low voice. She gave him another strange look before turning around and firing her FN-SCAR at the emerging infected. Francis then spotted something interesting a few meters ahead of them.

"Look!" He called out, running ahead of Rochelle further down the pier. She was confused but followed closely behind him. In the water, floating leisurely in all its glory; was a sizable boat in good condition. "This could be our ticket to the Florida Keys!" The biker remarked in joy. Rochelle felt the tiniest bit deflated; this meant little to her as her group were trying to find a new vehicle to go in the opposite direction and they would not be going to the Florida Keys. She was happy for Francis and his group however; they had a means of escape. At least they would be safe from the infection.

Francis tried to motor but it failed to start. "Low on gas?" Rochelle guessed, everything seemed low on gas nowadays. Francis nodded. "Yeah I think so. But there might be something else." He added as he walked to the other side of the boat and lifted up a hatch, which revealed the engine below.

He examined it and didn't really know what was right or wrong with it. He was an expert at bikes, not boats. "I don't really know what's up with it." Francis explained "It's low on gas but there might be something wrong with engine too." Rochelle nodded. "We could get Ellis to have a look at it? He might know a thing or two about boat engines." She suggested. "Better than nothing I suppose." Francis replied as he clambered back onto the harbour before turning around, extending a hand to Rochelle, which she took. He pulled her light body up with ease. "Will we head back?" Rochelle asked "Tell the others about what we found?" Francis gave it a thought and nodded. "Sure darling, lets head back." He said, a little bit curious about how she would react to him calling her 'darling'.

She smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. "Darling? I didn't know the big bad biker was a gentleman!" She commented with a smirk. Francis returned it "Don't judge a book by its cover." They both laughed as they turned around and started making their way back to the bridge.

 **In Rayford**

The trip back to the bridge was mainly spent in silence. The only words spoken were calls about advancing infected. Coach was angry at Nick for picking a fight with Zoey. Nick was driving a wedge between the two groups and it was becoming a problem. Coach reminded himself to speak to him about it later.

The bridge was now in sight, much to their relief. They stepped their way over the corpses which were slain the day before, strewn all over the street. The three walked up under the balcony. "Ellis! Louis! We're back!" Coach called up. There was a moment of silence before Louis opened the balcony door and looked down at them. "Oh you're back!" He exclaimed in a cheery tone. Ellis emerged from the building onto the catwalk and strolled over to the ladder. Unlocking the latch and sliding the ladder down to them. Zoey climbed up first but before Nick could follow her, Coach stuck out his arm.

"Nick, these people have given us food, shelter and a place to sleep. Goddamn it boy, if you fuck this up for us, there will be hell to pay!" Coach growled, his stern face telling Nick that a sarcastic reply was not a good option. "You tell the girl to save my ass when I am being pounced by one of those freaks!" Nick responded in equal anger. "She has saved our asses twice already Nick! Just because she messed up once doesn't give you any right to yell at her!" Coach fired back. Realizing he was only digging his own grave, Nick just sighed. "Fine. But tell her to stay the hell away from me." Nick said before clambering up the ladder. Coach gave cursed under his breath before following in suit up the ladder. Ellis welcomed him at the top.

"Hey Coach! How'd it go?" Ellis called out with a little excitement. "We got some good stuff boy." Coach answered as he helped Ellis raise the ladder again. They both walked to the building, seeing Louis and Nick digging through the contents of Nick's bag. Zoey was sitting on her own in the sitting room, arms crossed and a blank expression on her face. Her bag of supplies was on the table. Coach sighed and gave Ellis a nudge with his elbow. "Go talk to her." Coach said, it was more of an order than a suggestion. "Me? B-but I-" Coach cut him "Nick gave her a hard time. You need to talk to her." Ellis was about to protest some more but realized that it was getting him nowhere. "Okay, 'I'll talk t-to her." Ellis was already stuttering.

He awkwardly walked into the sitting room. He was extremely nervous but he had to stop himself from looking like an idiot. He took a deep breath before continuing.

 _"_ _C'mon Ellis, you can talk to a girl."_

Ellis was stuck. In front of him was the most beautiful girl in the world in his eyes. He couldn't talk to her without sounding like a fool. He knew he had to talk to her though. She needed someone to talk to.

Ellis seriously doubted if he could do this. He then looked up at her and sae that she was staring at him in blatant confusion. Ellis froze to the spot. He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Either turn around and get out of their which his mind was screaming at him to do or continue and most likely make her think he was a stuttering idiot.

" _Oh man, I hate making these decisions."_


	11. New World

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20. I don't have much to say besides thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it a lot! Anyway let's get on with the chapter. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 11: New World**

Ellis was now in a difficult place. He was now standing halfway between the door and the couch which Zoey was sitting on; she was gazing at Ellis, waiting in confusion for what he was going to do. His mind was drawing up blank as to what to do. He tried to speak but realized that only tongue-tied gibberish was coming out of his mouth. It was like his brain had just switched off. Zoeys look only made Ellis panic more as he thought about how weird this must be for her. The mechanic forced his body to put his weight forward, to make some sort of movement forward, but he didn't budge. Instead, he found himself cowering away back out the door and through the main room. He walked back out of the flat and onto the catwalk. He just needed a moment to gather what the hell that just was.

" _Oh my god, I couldn't have screwed that one up any worse than I just did._ "

Ellis felt like yelling in anger but decided that wouldn't be a smart idea. He had just ruined any realistic chance of seeming like a normal human being in her eyes. The young man began to wonder why he was so goddamn nervous around her. He held his face in his hands, angry at himself for making such an awkward situation for her. He felt bad for Zoey. She was probably wondering what the hell just happened and why he had walked half way across the room, freeze for a few seconds and turn back around again and leave. He had definitely just screwed up any chance he had with the girl which he had so much affection for.

"Hey Ellis! Down here!" A female voice called out, interrupting his train of thought.

He looked down and saw Francis and Rochelle looking back at him. "Hey, how'd it go?" Ellis called down to them as he strolled over to the other side of the catwalk and began letting down the ladder. Francis let Rochelle go up first as he watched their back. "It went okay I suppose." She said when she reached the top. Francis climbed up right after her and lifted the ladder back up. "The others back yet?" Francis questioned as he got back to his feet. "Uh yeah they're back in the flat. They got some cool shit, you should check it out." Ellis answered, he seemed distracted by something. Rochelle noticed this straight away.

"You not coming in?" Francis asked as he inspected his shotgun. Ellis shook his head. "Nah man, I'll be inside in a minute." Ellis replied.

 _"_ _Please go inside, I need a minute to myself."_ Ellis thought to himself.

"Alright dude, don't be long." Francis responded as he turned and walked to the flat. Rochelle gave a worried look at Ellis. He was acting very strange. He usually could talk for hours but now she was getting the vibe that all Ellis wanted was for the conversation to end. She decided to let him have a moment by himself and turned back, heading for the flat.

 **In the flat**

Francis and Rochelle returned to the flat empty handed. Coach stood up to greet the two back. "Hey y'all! What's the news?" The big man asked. "Well the Jimmy Gibbs is screwed for one." Rochelle replied and the smile on Coach's face replaced itself with a frown. "Shit. Well actually, I kind of expected that." Coach admitted before realizing something. "Wait, how did you get up here?" Rochelle was a bit confused. "Umm, Ellis did. He's out there." She answered. Coach looked into the sitting room and saw Zoey still on the coach by herself, the mechanic nowhere to be seen.

"Wait what?! I just- Coach stopped himself and looked back at Rochelle who was now more clueless about what was going on. "Never mind. Anythin' else of interest on your search?" Francis then piped in with his discovery "We found a boat in good enough condition! I don't know about the engine, we might need Ellis to have a look at it." Coach nodded "Speaking of that boy, I need to talk to him." As he made his way for the door.

However, Rochelle blocked his way. "Leave him Coach. He wants a minute to himself." She persuaded the big man. He gave her a look of irritation but it quickly changed to a smile. "Alright, I'll leave him." He replied as Rochelle walked around to the table, leaving her weapons on the table. Francis had left for the sitting room and was now talking with Zoey.

Nick and Louis were talking about guns in the kitchen, away from the conversation in the main room. Rochelle looked back over at Coach, they were alone. "What the hell is going on with Ellis?!" She hissed in a hushed voice, noticing Coach's weird behaviour when the boy was mentioned.

Coach sighed and propped himself up in the chair. "Nick gave some shit to Zoey over a small incident and she was in a bad mood over it. I urged the young 'un to go talk to her. I thought he was in there! I never noticed him slipping out!" He explained. Rochelle nodded and sighed. "Oh well that's nothing that bad. Then why is he out there acting all strange?!" She asked. Coach just shrugged. "No idea really. Couldn't have gone that bad, could it?" He answered with a slight chuckle.

Rochelle started to feel pity for Ellis.

 **An hour later**

The time had passed to what the survivors guessed was around 5 o'clock. Ellis had returned inside and was now sitting by himself in the corner of the main room. He had dragged a chair over. He had engaged in small talk with Nick and Francis but besides that, he was majorly silent. Especially now that Zoey was also back in the room. The survivors were figuring out if there was anything they could do before night fall.

Nick was now sitting beside Rochelle who had Francis on her other side. She kept darting looks over at Ellis who was staring at the ground, completely zoned out. She felt bad for the young man; whatever happened to him earlier with Zoey must have really got to him.

"We could go back into the town and look for a car not that the Jimmy Gibbs is a certified wreck." Nick suggested but Coach shook his head. "We shouldn't wander off far this late in the day." Coach retorted as he gazed out the window into the distance. There was a moment of silence as the survivors tried to rack up an idea in their heads. They all wanted to get the most done during the daylight; it was far too dangerous for the group to be wandering around the town in the dark.

"We could open up downstairs?" Rochelle added into the brainstorm. The others were rather impressed by the idea. "Yeah, yeah we could!" Louis said in agreement. "It is a bit cramped in here." Zoey admitted in a low tone "We could really do with some more space."

The seven had to be careful about this execution of the plan. They had no idea what was down there except that it was a bar. Nick was happy about the idea of acquiring alcohol and agreed with the plan thoroughly. They started getting to work on moving the debris in front of the door which was near the bathroom. Of course, Ellis couldn't take part in the lifting of heavy objects due to his arm so he had once again had to sit out much to his further disappointment.

Ellis strolled over to the kitchen and rooted around the grimy looking fridge. He got himself some bottled water that was being stored in there. The plastic felt nice and cold in his hand. He took a few gulps of the cold liquid as he turned around and nearly coughed up his water.

Zoey was standing right there at the door, looking at him with a worried expression. She was blocking the way out. There was no one else nearby, everyone had left to clear the door. The worried look on her face only made him more nervous. Ellis was trapped.

 _There was no escaping this one._


	12. Fresh Starts

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Sorry about the last chapter being so short! I was working on it late and I really wanted to update so sorry! This one will be longer. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 12: Fresh Starts**

Ellis was stuck again. There was no walking away. _She_ was standing right there, in the doorway. Her emerald green eyes focused on him as he tried to work out what he was going to do. It was almost like time had frozen as seconds were feeling like hours. She spoke first.

"Ellis, we need to talk." Is all she said as she continued gazing at him. That sentence mad him turn pale. He started to distract himself with the bottle of water in his hands. "Uhh, y-yeah sure. W-what is it?" He was barely able to reply. His heart was pounding a million times a minute. He never knew he could be this bad around girls. Usually he was fine around them.

"You've been acting strange today. What's up?" Zoey asked as she took a step forward to the mechanic who was only getting increasingly nervous. Ellis racked around in his brain for an answer, an excuse, a lie. _Anything._

"I am fine Zoey. I-I'm honestly fine." He tried to reason with her but she knew something else was on his mind. She shook her head, rejecting that as a viable excuse. "I know there's something on your mind, you can tell me Ellis. You can trust me." She urged him, obviously still curious about the incident between them earlier.

Ellis just shook his head. Why wouldn't she let it go? Ellis composed himself again. " _Goddamn it Ellis, you can talk to a girl._ " He urged himself. "I was just thinking about an old friend of mine, ma'am." Ellis lied to her without stuttering, much to his surprise. Zoey raised an eyebrow at the mechanic. "What happened to him?" She asked with some curiosity. Ellis just shrugged. "I dunno ma'am. I think he might be alright. He was a crazy son of a bitch." Ellis admitted, suddenly becoming genuinely sad as he thought about Keith's fate.

"I'm sure he's okay Ellis." She remarked as she edged slightly closer to him, her hands behind her back. "If there is something on your mind Ellis, you tell me okay? You know I'm here for you, right?" She commented to the young man, who nodded back in response. His stomach did a flip when he heard that. "Oh and what did I say about calling me 'ma'am'?" She exclaimed with a smile. "Oh yeah, sorry about that _Zoey_." He responded with a grin. He was finding it much easier to talk to her, and to think properly for that matter. Ellis was grateful she didn't bring up what happened earlier, as he had no explanation for it.

"We probably need to change your bandages by the way." She added, pointing at his arm. "Oh yeah, I should probably do that, shouldn't I?" He replied with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. She gestured at him to follow her as she walked out of the kitchen. Ellis put the water back in the fridge and walked back into the sitting room, where they had applied the bandages yesterday. She patted the couch beside her with a big grin on her face as he took a seat on the worn out sofa.

Zoey started unravelling the many layers of bandages she had put on his arm the previous day. Ellis tried to hide his wincing as she examined his arm with a gentle touch. "I'm sorry, am I hurting you?" She quickly asked as she noticed the pained expression on his face. "Nah, it's alright. I'm fine." He reassured her with a smile. She began softly cleaning his arm with a wet cloth, careful not to rub too hard. She applied more of the weird smelling spray onto the bruised area and got out a new roll of bandages.

Zoey took her time re-bandaging his arm as to not deal big amounts of pain for Ellis. "You're good at this medical stuff, ain't ya?" He commented with his signature grin, noticing her skill and focus while wrapping his arm. She looked up at him and returned the smile. "I learned through experience I guess." She responded.

Ellis grinned as she carefully inspected his arm some more. "Shit Ellis, I can only imagine how much this hurt." Zoey flinched as she ran her fingers delicately over his arm. "Aw it's nothin'. I've been through worse." Ellis tried to play it off, Zoey giggling at his attempt at male bravado. "Oh really? You must be a real tough guy huh?" Zoey joked. Ellis laughed and shrugged. "I suppose that would make me a tough guy, wouldn't it?" Ellis replied.

She rolled the bandages around his arm one more time before cutting it and putting the remaining bandage roll back in the first aid kit and zipped it back up. "All done." She added as Ellis inspected his arm. "Thanks a bunch Zoey, really." Ellis said as she got up off the couch.

"Don't worry about it Ellis." She replied as she looked back with a smile. And with that, she was gone. Ellis slumped back onto the couch and took a deep breath.

" _Man oh man, she is beautiful._ "

Zoey strolled back down the hall. She was happy she had got to clear some things up with Ellis. She was still in the dark about the whole incident earlier but decided to leave it for another day. She went to check on how much progress the others had made. She had told them she was going to change Ellis's bandages but she had taken a while to do it. They were probably wondering what was taking her so long.

Ellis was a really nice and friendly guy. She was happy there was actually someone her age that she could relate to on some matters. There were only so many conversations you could have with a biker and an IT technician. From what she had seen from Ellis so far, he was mainly an optimist. But he could also act very strangely sometimes.

He also had a pretty cute smile.

Zoey instantly wiped that idea from her mind. She had no time to think about that. She arrived back with the others who were waiting for her to come back. Nick had his frying pan in his hand while Francis had his usual machete, blood stains dried into the sharp metal.

"What took you so long?" Francis questioned, wanting to get this done. "Oh nothing. Just re-bandaging his arm." Zoey explained. "Alright everyone ready to go?" Coach enquired and got a nod from mostly everyone in response. Nick opened the door, which creaked heavily. There was a long, wooden staircase down to complete darkness. Nick clicked on his flashlight and began aiming it down the stairs. Dust particles passed through its beam as it revealed another white door at the bottom of the staircase.

Nick and Francis lead the group down, Louis stayed at the top of the stairs due to his leg. Rochelle turned on her flashlight as she shone it over Nicks shoulder. The conman was the first to reach the bottom of the staircase; he waited for the others to get behind him. He placed his ear up against the door, trying to hear whatever was on the other side.

Dead silence.

He slowly turned the knob which gave a click and the door creaked open. Nick shone his flashlight around the place, trying to draw any immediate threats to the open. The group advanced through the darkness as they stuck close together. Nick and Rochelle aimed their flashlights around the dusty room, searching for any danger.

"There, the light switch!" Coach called out as he ran over and pressed a few switches. And sure enough, the bar lit up in a hazy glow, revealing no infected in the building.

The bar was half stocked with fine alcohol, much to the survivors delight. The barstools were up on the counter. A pool table sat in the middle of the room, two cues lying horizontal across it. A few tables with the chairs stacked on top were here and there, while a line of booths, with red cushioning and a large dark brown wooden table sat in the middle of each. They were all lined up along the wall.

A few neon signs were at the bar, turned off of course. Some fridges stocked with bottles of beer behind the counter. The survivors had hit an alcoholic goldmine.

"Holy shit, why didn't we open up here sooner?" Nick exclaimed Nick in an unusually cheery tone as he hopped the counter and began examining the booze this place had to offer.

"Nice thinking Rochelle!" Francis remarked as he began taking some of the chairs off the tables. Rochelle gave a shrug and smirked. "No problem, I could sense the alcohol down here." She got a reply of laughter. Ellis came bolting down the stairs as he desperately wanted to see the bar, and he was not disappointed.

"Oh man! This place is awesome!" The young man chirped as he strolled over behind the counter. "They have beer too y'all!" He exclaimed like an amazed child in a candy store. Louis hobbled carefully down the stairs not too long later and was happy the group had made such a useful discovery. "I didn't go to many bars before this but I could sure get used to this place." Louis said as he examined the pool table with great interest. The survivors were very happy with their new expansion; there were even eight or nine packets of the classic, over salted bar peanuts under the counter. It was a very fruitful discovery in the end overall.

 **An hour later**

The group of seven had now returned back to the main room, waiting for dinner which Coach and Louis were preparing in the kitchen. Ellis and Zoey were now sitting in the corner of the room by themselves, chatting and laughing hysterically at the misadventures of Keith. It was a surprise to most of the group that Ellis could actually speak properly to Zoey now, and with some confidence. Nick walked up beside Rochelle and leaned down to her. "Looks like Overalls grew some balls." He whispered to her with a chuckle as Rochelle tried to hold in her laughter. Francis sat at the table, cleaning his machete with a worn out cloth.

"And this one time, Keith fell down an open manhole." Ellis chimed away.

Nick heard Ellis mutter the sentence and groaned to himself. How could Zoey find his annoying stories entertaining? Nick had found them irritating after barely a day. He watched as Zoey would gaze at Ellis with a smile, listening intently to his every word about how Keith escaped from the sewers after being paved in, and then burst into more immature laughter again. Nick shook his head in mere disbelief.

" _There is no way in hell Zoey could possibly like him back."_ The conman thought to himself.

Coach and Louis emerged from the kitchen with some five bowls of pasta; the other two were in Tupperware boxes. They handed them out. Everyone was starving after a long day, so no one hesitated in wolfing down the surprisingly delicious pasta. Conversation filled the room as the survivors laughed and talked in harmony, ignorant to the constant death and war that raged on outside of these walls.

Rochelle swallowed her pasta and gazed over at Louis. "Thanks so much for this Louis. It's so nice!" She exclaimed as he shook his head, smiling.

"Hey, we look after our own." He replied.


	13. Love or Hate?

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Once again, don't really have much to say. I'm thinking of writing another short story but I might finish this one first before starting a new one. Let me know what you think. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 13: Love or Hate?**

Dinner was a generally enjoyable experience for the survivors. The sun was beginning to set as the sky began to gradually darken. Darkness gave the infected the advantage so the survivors stayed indoors until the light of the next day. This meant respite for the survivors. Regaining their energy from a day of fighting fiercely for their lives. Most of the survivors would usually be exhausted come nightfall, so the chance of sleep was met with great enthusiasm. Unless you were the unlucky one who drew the short match and were forced to stay up until an ungodly hour in the night, watching over your friends, giving them a sense of security and then switching with the other unlucky person who got the more gruelling second half of the night. But for the others who got the sleep, the night was met with happiness at the well needed slumber.

Except for Zoey.

She dreaded the fall of darkness. She dreaded the hours when bleak darkness shrouded everything. Simply because of the goddamn nightmares that haunted her. They made her distraught. She couldn't tell anyone about them though. They would think she was being weak. She hated seeming weak to the others.

So when the question was asked about who was going to take the first watch for the night, Zoey made sure she was the first to volunteer. She didn't want to sleep. She didn't want the nightmares to come back. Rochelle was quick to jump to the second slot for the night watch. Zoey wasn't sure why.

After around an hour more of conversation and cleaning up, the survivors began to assume the positions they would be in for the night. Louis was assorted back to his usual place in the bed, Ellis and Couch were to take the couch and Nick, Francis and Rochelle had to take the floor. Sleeping downstairs was an option but the group decided sleeping close to each other was probably the best idea for now. Nick and Rochelle got the two new sleeping bags, Francis urging that he would be okay without one. Zoey took her position beside the window as Nick did the night before. Her dual M1911 pistols in the holsters either side of her waist.

Zoey had to say, taking watch wasn't the worst thing ever. It gave you a lot of time to think about everything. No one was asleep yet as she heard whispering and giggling in the sitting room and guessed they weren't tired enough to sleep just yet. It was still early enough in the night.

Zoey sighed and propped her elbow up against the window sill. She found her eyes gazing back into the sitting room. The lamp was still on in the sitting room as she saw her friends chat away. And here she was, by herself, being antisocial as usual. Nothing had really changed, had it?

But weirdly enough, Zoey kept finding her eyes drifting onto a certain young man.

 _Ellis._

She studied his facial expressions, the goofy grin he would produce when he talked, the way his head dipped a little when being talked to, the way he would throw his head back slightly when laughing. It might have been due to her ruggedness or the fact he was the only person close to her own age, but Zoey had to admit, Ellis was pretty attractive.

But she waved off the thoughts again. She couldn't be thinking about Ellis like that. They were friends, right? Besides, there was no time for romance in the apocalypse. But still her eyes, as if they had a mind of their own, pulled themselves onto Ellis again and again. He was looking back at her now, giving her a smile.

She returned it before turning her attention back out the window. The moon had now risen in the clear sky above the low buildings of Rayford. Zoey wasn't used to places like this. She had spent most of her time in the civilized cities of the north, in Pennsylvania. Small towns like this were unknown to her.

Part of her missed that life. She missed the cities, the hustle and bustle of traffic and the constant flow of important looking people on the streets. The silence of Rayford was starting to drive her a little insane. She missed noise in general; nowadays, any noise was probably coming from something that wanted to kill you. She was unsure if she could ever return to that life, if she could ever return home. They had now turned off the lamp in the sitting room, declaring their intent to rest.

Zoey was alone now. " _When was the last time I got a decent amount of sleep?_ " Zoey thought to herself. Every night, her night mind had been plagued by nightmares. Either about Bill or her parents, they horrified her. She would often wake at some early hour of the morning, scared and hating herself and just wait for the others to wake.

Zoey began to wonder if life would ever return to normal again. It was an idea that entertained her mind whenever she had time to think about the concept. No matter how unrealistic it seemed, she always hoped that it could happen. She remembered talking about it, in the elevator at Mercy Hospital. It seemed so long ago for some reason.

 _The elevator doors shut close. The four survivors were doubled over; catching their breath after the brutal fight they had just endured waiting for the elevator. After a few seconds of respite, Zoey spoke first:_

 _"_ _Do you guys think life will ever, you know, return to normal?"_

 _It was an odd question for her to ask, full of innocence, it was met by a few seconds of thought._

 _"_ _I will bring peace back to Earth if it means I have to fight every one of these goddamn bastards with my bare hands!" Bill exclaimed as he drew a fresh cigarette from the packet. It was a response that raised the spirits of the other three._

 _"_ _Hell yeah!" Louis remarked as he reloaded his Uzi._

 _"_ _Damn straight." Francis muttered as he leaned against the wall, waiting for them to reach the top._

 _Zoey just gave Bill a smile. They were lucky to have Bill with them. He had his experience in war and to be honest, this apocalypse wasn't too far off a war._

 _The doors eventually pulled open and the four set off through the upper floors of the hospital._

Zoey sighed to herself again. She wondered if Bill would like the new guys. Probably not, now that she thought about it. Bill never liked new people. He _especially_ wouldn't have liked Nick. Bill gave Francis a hard time over his attitude but with someone like Nick, Bill probably would have shot him by now.

A noise coming from the sitting room startled Zoey. She stared into the darkness as a figure emerged from it.

Rochelle.

The older woman grabbed a chair and quietly pulled it over to Zoey. She was confused at what she was doing. Rochelle gave her a look. "I couldn't sleep with all their snoring." Rochelle explained. "I can only imagine." Zoey replied with a quiet laugh.

Zoey had planned to have this time to herself but Rochelle was not unwanted company. "So don't take this the wrong way." Rochelle began "But what do you think of Ellis?"

Zoey shrugged "He's nice. And he's funny. He's got this friend called Keith that did lots of crazy stuff and the stories are hilarious." Zoey replied and Rochelle chuckled. "Trust me sweetie, we _all_ know who Keith is." Zoey was unsure what Rochelle meant by this. "But what I meant was, do you, well, _like him?_ " Rochelle asked again but in a different tone.

"Oh. _Oh._ Oh god, well, em, no? I think." Zoey said, flustered and blushing. Rochelle giggled to herself. "You don't sound like you're sure about that." The news reporter commented with a smirk. Zoey hoped Rochelle didn't notice her extremely red face.

"I like him. Not like that way. I don't know. It's kinda hard to explain right now." Zoey remarked and looked over at Rochelle. "What about you and Francis?" Zoey said, changing the subject. It was Rochelle's turn to blush. "I see you two talking a lot. What's going on there?" Zoey interrogated. Rochelle gave a smirk. "Francis is funny. And he's handsome enough." Rochelle admitted as she kept her eyes to the floor. Zoey giggled at the fact that her biker friend whose favourite hobby was to hate things had actually managed to charm a woman. She didn't think Francis had that in him. The two women chatted away for a few hours across the night. About who they were before the apocalypse started. What they did. Zoey explained to Rochelle that she was a flunking college student, who just watched horror movies and played video games instead of going to class, a matter that made her parents argue a lot. Her mother wanted her to a film director as that was what she was studying up on. Her father wanted her to follow in his footsteps and become a cop. She wasn't sure which one she would have chosen.

Rochelle revealed herself as a news reporter, well not actually a news reporter but someone who brings them coffee and snacks. She explained that she had her chance to actually go big by reporting on the Green Flu outbreak down in Savannah, but the zombies went and killed that dream, and that was where she met the other three.

At around god knows what time; the two were in a blissful silence. Zoey let a long yawn. Rochelle gawked at her as she did. "Go to sleep Zoey, I will take over here." The young woman was about to protest when Rochelle shook her head and smiled, refusing any sort of arguing. "You can take my sleeping bag. It's in the corner beside of the room." Rochelle added. Zoey knew protesting was useless so she got up from her chair, placed her pistols carefully on the table and she turned around to look at Rochelle. "Night Ro." She whispered with a smile. Rochelle returned it "Night sweetie."

Zoey crept passed the sleeping figure of Nick and thread quietly to the corner of the room. Sure enough, Rochelle's vacant sleeping bag was laid out on the floor. Zoey kicked off her dirty sneakers and zipped off her red jacket, hopping into the sleeping bag. She rolled her jacket up into a ball and dropped it at the head of the sleeping bag.

Zoey was scared about going to sleep. She didn't want to have those nightmares again. She fucking hated them. She decided to get her mind off of it. She thought about Francis and Rochelle, how she would love seeing them together. They would be an awesome couple, they would go well together. She then thought about what Rochelle had said earlier. Why was she asking about Ellis and if she liked him? Maybe Rochelle thought she and Ellis would be nice together. Zoey grinned to herself. " _Yeah, that is funny._ " She smirked to herself. And without even realizing, Zoey slowly ebbed away into nothingness.


	14. Taken Away

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'll be away for the next while so I might not update for a few days. Off to my cousins wedding. Can't wait! When I get back, I'll get right into the next chapter. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 14: Taken away**

Louis woke up in the familiar place which was the bedroom. He gave a small yawn before climbing out of the comfortable bed, hopping into his black suit trousers and slipping on his dirty suit shoes. He swung his red tie around his neck and tightened it a little. Louis accidently put weight onto his injured leg and winced as he expected severe pain, but it was actually bearable. Louis carefully put some more weight onto it and it felt sore, but not extremely. His leg was slowly but surely recovering.

He left the bedroom and entered the main room, where Rochelle was leaning against the window sill. He was the first up, as usual. "Morning Ro." He said, not so loud as to scare her. She turned around and gave him a smile "Morning Louis. How'd you sleep?" She asked as she walked over to the kitchen to get some water. "Like a log. Any problems?" He questioned as he sat down at the table. "I thought I heard a Hunter outside but it left so not really." She explained as Coach walked in from the sitting room.

"Morning y'all." He said hazily as he sauntered over to the kitchen, looking for what they were going to have for breakfast. Rochelle smiled at Coach in response. He began searching the cupboards for breakfast and pulled out a packet of peanuts. Content, he returned back to the table and dug into them.

As yesterday proved, waking the others up was not an easy task. "Go away." Nick mumbled in his sleep filled state, wishing not to be disturbed. He was always cranky in the morning. Ellis and Zoey had now reported into the kitchen and were now eating cereal straight from its box; they had no milk to properly eat it with. Francis was also now in the main room, sitting beside Louis, talking about vampires and their existence in the world now that zombies turned out to be real. Nick, after some cursing, trudged into the kitchen and returned with two energy bars and a scowl on his dreary face.

There wasn't much debate on who was doing what today. Much of it was decided the day before. Ellis was to head down to the docks and inspect the boat. It was a shot in the dark as he was a _car_ mechanic but no one else in the group knew anything about boats besides that if it starts to sink, there is something wrong. Francis was to escort the young man to it while Zoey volunteered to tag along with them. Coach, Nick and Rochelle planned to do another supply run but also keep an eye out for a replacement vehicle for the Jimmy Gibbs along the way. Louis had protested that his leg was in good enough condition to leave the flat but the others decided it was best for him to sit out for one more day, for good measure. Besides, they needed someone to drop the ladder when they got back. Louis groaned and sat down again in disappointment and irritation at yet again missing out on the action.

The survivors went along with the usual routine, get their weapons and a first aid kit between the two groups in case anything went badly south. Ellis had missed the feeling of a gun as he got reintroduced with his beloved sniper rifle. He had fallen in love with the thing back at the gun shop in Savannah. Nick noticed the mechanic had a habit in taking a strong liking to things rather quickly. Ellis believed it was best to leave the Grenade Launcher in the flat; he made everyone nervous when it was in his hands.

Now that everyone was ready, they took their leave. Saying their goodbyes to a jealous Louis and climbed down the ladder. The injured man pulled it back up after them. The two groups set off in different directions, wishing the other side good luck. The day was sunny for once, but a stern wind blocked the chance of it being warm. The sky was a yellow-grey colour, the sun peeking out of a blanket of grey clouds. It was strange weather.

" _I_ know man! If zombies are real, then there has got to be vampires! And werewolves, mummies and ghosts! It just makes sense!"

"I know! They are all out there somewhere! I'll find them one day."

Zoey listened in on the two men and their childish conversation about monsters and other immature things that they were afraid of when they were all kids. She couldn't exactly tell if they were being serious but their tones didn't exactly sound like they were joking. She decided to bring them back to the depression which was now reality.

"Em morons? Can we focus for a minute?" She sounded a lot colder than she had originally intended. The two chuckled to themselves before placing their attention back to scouting out any infected. Francis was leading them; he was the only one who knew where the boat was out of the three of them.

Ellis was devastated when he saw the overturned Jimmy Gibbs. The look of genuine sadness on his face made Zoey both laugh a little in her head about how attached he was to the stock car but also a little bit of sadness too. This was a part of his childhood, now it was in front of him in a wreck.

The dock of Rayford was a truly shitty place. For Francis and Zoey, they had already been through here, with their old friend Bill not even twenty minutes before he had sacrificed. How oblivious they were back then. Zoey wished she had a minute to say goodbye to him.

Her eyes began to well up. She wiped the tears quickly and hoped the other two didn't notice it. She desperately looked for ways to take her mind off of Bill.

"Is this boat of yours close by Francis?" She asked as she kicked a pebble along the ground. The biker shrugged his heavy shoulders.

"Not much longer now. It's should be somewhere along this pier." He answered. There wasn't really a problem from the infected. Rochelle and himself had dealt with most of them the day before, now they were only running into a few stragglers. Zoey aimed down the scope of her Hunting Rifle and picked two infected off from further down the pier.

"There it is!" Francis remarked as he pointed down into the water. And indeed it was. It wasn't a technological breakthrough, but it would suffice to carry their asses over to the Florida Keys. The three hopped down from the harbour and into the boat. The interior was filthy and smelled horrible. There was a small amount of murky water swishing around on the floor. There were seats built into the wall of the boat with a table in the middle. A set of jingly keys were on the table which one could only presume was for the boat. Ellis got to work on the engine, trying to figure out if there was anything wrong with it. Better to find out any problems with the boat now rather than in the middle of the ocean.

Ellis fiddled around with some parts, it looked vaguely familiar. A boat engine was a lot larger than a cars'. "Start her now!" Ellis yelled up at Francis, who was in the cabin. The biker turned the keys and the engine revved a little, but gave out to no avail. Ellis cursed to himself and ducked his head around the engine again. He quickly noticed that one of the hoses attached to the radiator was loose. After plugging it back in, he pulled his head out again.

"Try now!"

Francis repeated his earlier action as the boat made a stronger attempt before a very loud bang emerged from the exhaust as a poof of very black smoke rose into the sky. The boat was now humming in anticipation.

"Nice going Ellis!" Francis hooted as he emerged from the cabin. "Yeah, thanks for that Ellis!" Zoey added. Ellis gave his goofy grin and shrugged. "Think of it as me paying back the debt I owe ya!" Ellis replied.

Francis and Zoey briefly looked at each other. "What debt?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "You saved me and my friends from our deaths. And now you're givin' us food n' shelter. We owe you guys a lot." He answered.

Francis waved it off "Don't worry about that. We weren't going to watch you die now were we?" Ellis shrugged again. "Yeah I suppose you're right. Still, I-

The howl of nearby horde infected cut Ellis off midsentence. The three quickly jumped back up onto the pier and pulled out their weapons. From either side, were two large hordes of bloody monsters, sprinting eagerly closer and closer towards them. They were frozen in fear. There was so many of them.

It was Ellis who broke the trance. "Up here!" He yelled, gesturing for someone to give him a lift up the stone wall behind them. Francis hastily bent down onto one knee and hauled the mechanic up onto the wall. Ellis spun around and extended his hand down. Both Francis and Zoey looked at it, waiting for the other to grab it. Francis shoved Zoey towards the wall and Ellis reached down with his good arm and grabbed her hand, hoisting her up with no trouble.

The crowds of infected were closing in on Francis. Both Ellis and Zoey frantically reached down and dragged the biker up the wall, using his feet to clamber up the wall.

An infected grabbed onto his boot, Francis trying desperately to shake it off. Zoey was the quickest to react, pulling out one of her pistols. She shot the latching zombie straight in the forehead, blood spilling out of the small hole. She picked off the nearest infected. Francis eventually hauled himself over the wall. The three jumped down, they were in a park.

The zombies began to scale the wall with little difficulty. Ellis heard Zoey shouting something but couldn't hear her over the strange barking and griping that was coming from in front of them.

A large infected with one huge shield of an arm advanced towards them. It was wearing dungarees and its face was small and viscous looking. It let out a roar and charged, arm first, straight at the three. They were quick to react, jumping out of the way, splitting Ellis and Zoey on one side and Francis on the other.

The large beast turned around and let out another bark. Francis had already unloaded two buck shots into it before it could do anymore. The infected had now caught up with them, separating them further.

Francis mowed down the zombies that ran at him. Catching three or four with one shot. He heard faint gunshots on the other side of the crowd. Chaos had rendered him near deaf. They started to thin out; he pulled out his machete and began hacking away at what was left to attack.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and gazed over at where his friends were. Or where they should be.

They were nowhere to be seen. They had disappeared. Francis picked through the bodies fearfully. Much to his relief, they were not among the corpses. Where were they?

"Zoey!" He yelled, hands cupped around his mouth.

No reply.

"Ellis!" He called again.

No reply.

Francis began to panic. They were not here. But they were here a minute ago. Fearing the worst, he trudged on around the park. Looking around for his friends, he found no trace of them at all. He began to weigh up his options, stay out here in the park and look for them some more while they still could be nearby, or sprint back to the flat and get help from the others but risk the fact that the two could be nearby and needing help immediately.

The silence was beginning to make him panic. He started running in the direction of the bridge, his fear and worry driving him on.

If Zoey was dead, that was it for him. He wouldn't be able to go on. That would be it.

For the first time ever, Francis was scared.


	15. Separated

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I'm back from my cousins wedding. Such a good time! Of course I had a drink or two… I'm going to get right back into this. The story is now making steady progress and I'm happy to see it moving along nicely! Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 15: Separated**

They kept running. Even though they knew they were no longer in danger, they kept running. The horde had split the three in half and the infected had begun to surround Ellis and Zoey from both sides. Zoey had yelled at Francis to run several times, but she was unsure if he had heard her calls. She was now extremely worried about him and his safety.

The two eventually slowed down and leaned against a building to catch their breath. The air rushing into their burning lungs. They only realised now how brutal that run really was. It was Ellis who spoke first.

"We're safe Zo. We can stop now." He reassured her in between deep breaths. She nodded as she scanned her surroundings. Where were they? This street was not familiar to her. "Where are we?" Zoey asked as she pulled her Hunting Rifle back to her arms. Ellis shrugged as he looked around him. "I dunno. Never been to this part of town before." He was clearly banking on Zoey to know the way back.

The pair continued on down the street and took a left onto another one. They had never seen this street before. They began to wander mindlessly through alleyways and streets, trying to find anything or a place that they would remember, but they didn't recognize anything. As time passed, the two were getting increasingly more worried.

"El-Ellis? Are we lost?" She questioned her; voice full of concern. Ellis shrugged again "I dunno Zo. I have no idea where we are." He replied with equal worry. Rayford was a big enough town. Even though neither of them wanted to admit it, they were very lost.

 **Back at the Bridge**

Francis stumbled up to the bridge, out of breath. He staggered to keep his composure as he began yelling up at the balcony of the flat.

"Louis!" He called up in clear urgency. After a few seconds, the IT technician popped his head out the door. "Oh hey Francis, you took-

"Louis, we have a big fucking problem! Let me up quick!" Francis informed, cutting whatever joke he was about to say midsentence.

Louis quickly marched over to the ladder, hastily drawing it down for the biker who clambered up it. He reached the top and instantly snapped his head towards Louis. "What's the problem man?" Louis asked in concern. "It's Ellis and Zoey. They're gone! I can't find them." Louis looked over at Francis with a raised eyebrow. "Francis, they're old enough to look after themselves." He replied as he gripped the railing with his hands. "No Louis! A horde separated me from them! I have no idea where they are! I can't leave Zoey out there!"

Francis cared a lot about Zoey. She was like a younger sister to him. He always enjoyed joking around with her as they both shared a rather childish sense of humour. Francis had been especially worried about her after Bill's demise. He worried she might think she had nothing left to live for.

Louis seemed taken aback by Francis' yelling but he tried to calm the bigger man down and recompose him so he could properly think. "Ok, ok. We'll find them, alright Francis? Where did you last see them?" Francis paused for a moment. "Down by a park near the docks." He answered in a more calm voice than before. "Alright, we should wait for the others to come back first." Louis himself shared to same concern as Francis did, but he realised that panicking is the worst thing they could do right now. They had to be collected and think about this carefully. But for now, they just had to wait.

 **One hour later**

Ellis and Zoey had been walking for a long time. Panic was becoming evident in each of them but they kept it together for the sake of not making the other panic. None of these streets looked familiar. The infected were easily dispatched but they needed to get back to the bridge before nightfall. They didn't talk to each other much, besides pointing out any advancing infected. It was around 5 o'clock from their guess, but it could have been later. Ellis felt like they were walking in circles.

Each unrecognizable street they walked through made the pair increasingly worried. They had to find somewhere they knew at some point. Ellis broke the silence again.

"Perhaps we ought to find a place to hold up in for the night, it's far too dangerous to be wanderin' around n' the dark." He suggested as he wiped some blood from his hands onto his t-shirt.

Zoey nodded but didn't say anything. She didn't even look at Ellis. The mechanic was a little disheartened by this action and refocused his attention back onto directing them back to the bridge.

He felt partly responsible for them being lost. But if they hadn't had ran away, Ellis wouldn't be sure what would have happened to them. They were surrounded by the infected back in the park.

The sun was starting to dip behind some buildings. Darkness wasn't far away. They needed to find shelter quickly. Ellis would have to keep an eye out for one.

He sighed to himself. He got them into this mess. There was no way Zoey was going to get hurt because of him. Ellis promised himself that Zoey would not be hurt while they were out here. She has been through enough already.

 **Back at the Flat**

Nick paced the sitting room, thinking of a ridiculous plan to retrieve Ellis and Zoey back before nightfall. He hadn't taken the news well; in fact, he blamed Francis for not sticking with them. Francis retaliated and Coach broke it up before anything violent could break out. The mood in the flat was flammable, if someone said something wrong, there would be fallout.

Francis had retreated to the couch, comforting a distraught Rochelle. Coach and Louis were whispering quietly to each other.

"So are we going to stay here and let them die?!" Nick exclaimed in fury.

"No one is goin' to die Nick. Relax. We're thinkin' of a plan right now." Coach was being the voice of reason and trying to calm everything down.

Nick sneered to himself. "Well you haven't come up with a lot now, have you?" He was trying to pick a fight. Coach wasn't having any of it.

"Nick, just give us a minute! We're going to need more time than this." Louis stated as he checked his watch.

 _5:54_

Louis swallowed the worry that was building up in his chest. It was October from what he remembered. It would be getting dark at around seven o'clock at this time of the year. They had some time.

"Well here is my two cents, we go out to where Francis last saw them and get looking!" Nick was being difficult as usual. He was trying to come up with the quick-fix solution.

"Alright, if that's what you wanna do Colonel Sanders, be my guest." Francis muttered as he looked up from Rochelle.

"You can't say anything you greasy pig!" Nick retorted in clear anger, the situation boiling up again.

"Shut up!" Rochelle yelled, silencing the room. "You two, just shut up! Yelling at each other isn't going to help anything!"

Coach nodded in agreement. "Ro is right y'all. We need to stick together right now."

"Yeah, fighting with each other is the worst thing we can do right now." Louis added, disgusted at how Francis and Nick could keep fighting with themselves when they needed to keep calm and think.

"Alright, sorry. Maybe we could go back to the park and look for them as suit suggested." Francis suggested. Nick was about to respond at how he called him 'suit' but decided to leave it.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Me, Francis and Louis will go looking. Nick and Ro, you two stay here in case they come back." Coach ordered, taking charge.

The group of five started to get their act together. Louis was happy he was finally being allowed to leave. He grabbed his trusty Uzi which he hadn't used for about a week now.

The three were quick in their preparation. Nick knew he had to comfort Rochelle now. She was visually upset and he had to take care of her. She was terrified Ellis and Zoey were already dead. The three said their goodbyes and left the flat. Nick sighed to himself.

" _What have you gone and done Ellis?_ "

He strolled over to Rochelle and sat down beside her. She was quiet as she had been since her earlier outburst.

"Sorry for all the shit earlier. I'm just as worried about those two as you are." Nick admitted, a little bit embarrassed.

Rochelle nodded. "I know, but arguing with everyone isn't helping anything Nick." She scolded him

"I guess. All I wanted was to take some action instead of sitting around here." He shrugged.

Rochelle dropped her head into her hands again. Nick, with a little bit of hesitation, wrapped his arm around her small frame. It was unlike him to be this caring, but he needed to be right now.

 **Back in the Streets**

Ellis and Zoey were still in dead silence. He was feeling all sorts of guilt. They could be out of this mess if it weren't for him. It was gradually getting darker; he knew they had to find a place for the night soon. He took his mind of their aimless walking and started looking for a suitable shelter.

They turned through an alleyway and Ellis spotted a parked truck. He contemplated staying in its trailer but quickly denied the idea. There was no light and only one exit.

" _You're gonna need a better idea than that, Ellis."_

They exited the short alley and came onto another street. He never thought Rayford was this large. He spotted a building that looked fairly intact that might do the job for the night.

"Let's take a look over here Zo." Ellis instructed as he sauntered over to his target. Zoey simply followed behind him.

The building looked generally untouched. There was a plaque beside the door that read:

 _Madden & Co. Taxation Consultants_

Ellis chuckled to himself. He forced open the door with his uninjured arm without much difficulty and switched out his sniper rifle for his baseball bat. He proceeded into the building with caution. It seemed safe and clean. He and Zoey searched the various rooms and deemed the place safe.

After pulling some debris in front of the door, the pair settled down for the night. They had no food so they would be sleeping on an empty stomach. Neither of them liked the idea.

They were sitting in a windowless room which involved a desk and a few filing cabinets. Nothing special really. Zoey seemed to have cheered up a bit as she was now swinging around on the swivel chair. Ellis was leaning against the wall. He took a quick gaze over at Zoey and she noticed it. She gave him a small smile.

" _Maybe she isn't so angry at me._ "

 **Back at the Park**

Coach, Francis and Louis were on their way back to the bridge, crestfallen. There was absolutely no trace of the pair. The three were now completely deflated. What could they do now? It was now getting hard to see. None of them wanted to talk. They were out of ideas. They had no idea where they could be. The idea of the two being dead sprung to mind and frightened them. It was a possibility they didn't want to think about.

They crossed the looming bridge in dread of returning to the flat. The news would crush Rochelle and only set Nick off further into blind anger. They were returning empty handed and with blank minds.

They came up to the balcony and Francis called up. Rochelle popped her head out the window and they all noticed how it dropped to a frown as she saw there were still only three of them.

Back in the flat, the mood was dead. Francis had resumed his position of comforting Rochelle again. The other three sat in the main room around the table, trying to figure out what they could do. The moon was now out, making any more action for the day impossible. Nick suggested a game of pool down in the bar in an attempt to try and lighten the already damp spirits with Coach and Louis. They accepted the offer to try get their mind off the current situation. Nick smirked to himself at the chance of owning these two in his favourite game.

What Nick will tell you ensued next was the most awkward and depressing game of pool he had ever been involved in.

 **Back at the Building**

Holding his stomach in laughter, Ellis tried to stop as his face hurt so much. They were sharing stories from when they were younger and Zoey had just told him how she had knocked out a guy for stealing her peanut butter back in freshman year. Ellis was slowly finding out that not only was Zoey beautiful; she was also an extremely awesome person much to his delight. She played video games, she loved all of the same movies Ellis did (They even quoted a few lines from Pulp Fiction together.) and she claimed to have eaten 43 bags of Skittles in one night.

The two had found a full vending machine, untouched and full, and had taken as much as they could and brought it back to the room. They were relaxed in the room as they shared funny stories from their normal lives.

"No way had you done that Zo!" He exclaimed, keeled over.

Zoey gave him a shrug and a laugh. "Hey, no one touches my peanut butter. I'm serious."

"Point taken. I won't be takin' your peanut butter anytime soon." He chuckled.

There was a brief content silence. What they thought was going to be a rough night was turning out to be a great time. Zoey loved the _'Misadventures of Ellis and Keith'_ as she had so accurately nicknamed them. She wished she could have met this Keith guy as he sounded like a fun but demented guy.

"So, what did you do before all this?" Ellis popped a more serious question.

Zoey thought about it for a minute. "I was a college student. I was flunking though. All I really did was watch horror movies and play video games. I lost all interest in everything really."

Ellis nodded, she sounded a bit sad near the end of her sentence. "What about you?" She quickly added.

"Well I was a mechanic, as ya can probably tell, I worked with Keith. After work, we would usually go off and hang around Savannah or practice with the band. I played bass." Ellis missed his guitar. Maybe he would find one someday. "On Sundays, I would have dinner with my Ma. It was great." Ellis finished with a grin. Zoey returned it as she leaned onto the desk, propping her head up with her elbow.

"That sounds really nice Ellis." She said softly, eyes glistening. Ellis gestured towards the wall with his head. "C'mon, you should probably get some sleep." Zoey looked at him in confusion.

"What about you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'll keep watch. I'll be fine." He explained.

The pair had moved over to behind the counter and was now sitting beside each other against the sickly beige wall. Zoey had turned off the lights so only the beams of moonlight coming in through the cracks in the window barricades lit the place up. The silence was a happy one as they both started to get comfortable in their positions. Zoey brought her knees up to her chest and was hugging them. She contemplated on talking for a minute, before going ahead and asking the question she asked her group before, all the way back in the hospital elevator.

"Do you ever think things will return to normal?"

Ellis thought about it for a few seconds before responding. "Of course! It might take a while but I'd reckon one day in the future, they'll find a cure or somethin'."

His reply made Zoey smile. Ellis was so optimistic about everything, it was refreshing really. She wished she had his view on life. Even in the apocalypse where he lost so many people close to him, he still finds a way to have a positive outlook on the situation. Some might find it naïve and unrealistic but being always assuming the worst became depressing after a while. It was nice for her to be told everything would be alright.

"What do you think?" He asked himself.

"To be honest with you, no. I think no matter if we get rid of the zombies, things will never be 'normal'. Things will be always different to how they were." Her response was sort of cold sounding.

Ellis chuckled to himself. "I guess you might be right. In all fairness, I still think there is a chance the world could return to some level of 'normal'." His response was well thought.

Zoey smiled and nodded. Her eyelids suddenly feeling rather heavy. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, wanting to stay up and talk to Ellis some more. But Ellis shut that down.

"Go to sleep Zo, you're tired." He exclaimed.

"Are you sure you want to take watch Ellis?" Zoey asked, already knowing what his reply was going to be.

"It's not a problem Zo. Now go catch some shut eye."

Zoey smiled at Ellis again and relaxed back into the wall. In a rather unexpected turn, she rested her head on his shoulder. Ellis froze up for a bit; not expecting the action at all, but quickly relaxed again and drew an arm around her, pulling her in closer. The two were content with this position. Ellis' heart was going a million beats a minute, he never even dreamt of being in a position like this with Zoey. He always sort of though his wayward thoughts of marrying her someday were just hopeless daydreams. This was a nerve racking moment for him.

He liked it nonetheless.

Suddenly, Zoey shifted her head up and gave Ellis a quick kiss on the cheek, completely catching him off guard, before returning her head onto his shoulder. Ellis was glad that the lights were off so she wouldn't see his tomato-like face. He began to wonder why she did that. Slowly, he rested his cheek on top of her head and sighed.

" _I could get used to this."_ He thought with a smile.


	16. Crashing Down

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. The story is coming along nicely, (Well, I feel it is anyway.) and it's starting to progress nicely. All this goddamn homework doesn't help but hey, the summer is nearly here and with that, I will update a lot more_ _J_ _Gotta ace the exams first… Favourite, Review and Enjoy! All characters belong to Valve._

 **Chapter 16: Crashing Down**

 _"_ _I can't believe you! You're a goddamn monster!"_

 _"_ _Honey, you're overreacting. I dealt with a problem, can we move on?"_

 _"_ _You're a murderer! You're a thug! You're a fucking animal!"_

 _"_ _I did what had to be done. I'm sorry you saw it but I'm in no mood for your yelling right now, so please, just drop it."_

 _"_ _I thought you left this life behind, Nick! How could you do this?!"_

 _"_ _Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!"_

 _"_ _You're a monster, Nick!"_

 _"_ _Nick!"_

 _"_ _Nick."_

"Nick?"

The conman finally opened his eyes and swiped the gloved hand which was shaking him rather roughly off of his shoulder. "Goddamn it, I'm awake!" He remarked as he sat up. He was on the couch in the sitting room. Coach was standing above him.

"Time to get up, Nick." He said as he chewed what Nick guessed was his breakfast. Nick sighed and stretched his back until he heard a faint crack, before remembering the situation they were in.

 _"_ _Oh great, I'm back in this nightmare."_

Nick hated to admit it, but he missed Ellis. He was someone he could ridicule and get pissed off at. Now that wasn't here, Nick found himself getting pissed off at both people and things he never would have before. He had lost his punching bag.

Nick strolled through the dead silent main room and into the kitchen, where he rooted around in the cupboard and picked himself out a tin of peaches. He actually loved the food, but that was the last tin. Another case of all good things coming to an end.

He returned to the kitchen where he found Coach and Francis conversing about what Nick guessed was Ellis and Zoey and their possible whereabouts.

 _"_ _What else would they be talking about?"_ Nick smirked to himself.

He took a seat beside Louis at the table, the morning light peering in the window into the room. Rochelle was making herself look busy, distracting herself most likely.

"Anything?" Is all Nick asked Louis, who knew exactly what he was talking about. "No, we're going to keep looking for them again today." He answered in a calm but emotionless tone. A tone that wasn't very common in the bright and happy Louis.

Nick just nodded and started eating his peaches. Nick was confident enough that Overalls was still alive. He may be an idiot but he's a tough kid who is well able to hold his own. Zoey would keep him calm though, if _she_ was still alive herself. Nick leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stubbly chin. He needed to shave.

Coach and Francis were blank on ideas. They had been missing for nearly a day now, they could be anywhere in Rayford. Hell, they could have _left_ Rayford for all they knew. Neither of the men wanted to admit they had no idea what to do. Their only choice was to keep searching the town. They had no idea how long they would look for them before they could confirming that they would call the search off and presume Ellis and Zoey as dead or they were gone.

It was a constant flow of fear and frustration in the survivors as they could do nothing.

 **Back in the building**

Ellis was the first to wake of the two. He kicked himself for falling asleep during his watch. He gazed down at Zoey, her head resting gently against his shoulder, her arm around his torso. As much as Ellis wanted to stay like that, he delicately pulled her arm from his body and softly removed his arms from around her body, placing her gently on the ground, letting her sleep some more. She groaned slightly as he did but then returned to silence after a few seconds.

He rose from against the wall and crept over to the small desk in the middle of the room. He grabbed some of the _Chocolate Helicopter_ bars they had looted from the vending machine and scoffed them down as some sort of breakfast. His muscles were sore as hell, he had no idea what time it was. He yawned as he looked out into the hallway, seeing the red light beaming down the hall.

" _Mustn't be that early I s'pose."_

Ellis decided the two would want to leave soon and start walking again. He quietly walked over to the girl he obsessed over and gently rocked her.

"Zoey? Zoey?" He whispered as he nudged her.

Her eyelids fluttered a little bit before her emerald eyes appeared, seeming a little dazed.

"El-Ellis?" She managed to say as she looked back up at him with those same emeralds Ellis loved so much. Her expression was confused.

"Time to get up, Zo." He stated with a grin before extended his uninjured arm down to her. She took it and Ellis helped her onto her feet with ease. He led her over to the desk and sat her down on the swivel chair. He gestured at the food on the table.

"Breakfast, Zo. Take your pick."

"Not too different to a usual breakfast I'd have in college." She joked with a smirk. "Except there would be more peanut butter."

Ellis laughed and walked back over to the door. "Tell ya what, if I ever find _anything_ with the _slightest_ bit of peanut butter in it, I will go to hell and back to get it for you." He remarked.

"Would you? That would be the nicest thing anyone would have done for me." She replied with a giggle.

"Would it mean I could have a bit of it?"

"Nope, I never share peanut butter. I would have to knock you out." She replied as she shook her head, eating a candy bar.

"Ah well, can't blame a guy for tryin'." He grinned as he picked up his sniper rifle.

 **Back at the Flat**

The group was ready to set out again. Nick found himself having to be stuck back in the flat once again with Louis this time. He sighed as he settled down in the bar, too tired to play pool. He just sat at the counter and thought about what the hell was going to happen if they couldn't find Ellis and Zoey after so long. Would they just settle them as lost causes and go our separate ways? Or will they continually look for them, until every stone in Rayford was overturned. As he thought about this, he heard Louis coming down the stairs behind him.

"Nick? You here man?" He called out from the doorway.

"Over here Louis." He waved from the bar. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing, just wondering where you were." He said as he walked over to beside him.

There was a brief silence, neither of the two knowing what to say. After a bout of thinking, Nick decided to deliver the harsh question that was floating around in his mind.

"What happens if we can't find them, Louis?" The conman phrased simply.

Louis' face dropped and he rubbed his chin in thought, this was a topic he was clearly uncomfortable discussing.

"Well uh, I don't really know. We can't leave either of them I guess. It just wouldn't be right." Louis answered after a few seconds of stuttering. Nick had already predicted his answer, Louis was an optimist and he would never lose hope easily. Nick just prayed that he was also a realist too.

The conman gestured over at the IT technician to sit at the counter as he walked behind the bar. Louis obliged and awkwardly walked over, a little bit of a limp could be seen in his step.

"What will it be?" Nick asked as he stepped aside, revealing a large selection of spirits behind him. Louis chuckled and shook his head. "I don't drink." He stated as he rested one elbow on the counter. "Oh c'mon. It's the end of the world. Man up." Nick pried as he picked out a bottle of mean looking whiskey. Louis debated it for a minute, before finally giving in.

"Alright, just one though, okay?"

Nick just gave a smirk. He pulled out two glasses from beneath the counter and unscrewed the cap on the whiskey bottle, filling around one fifth of the glasses. He slid one towards Louis as he gazed at the liquid with a look of disgust on his face.

It looked like apple juice to be honest.

"C'mon, bottoms up." Nick urged as they clinked their glasses together and gulped down the whiskey before placing them back down on the counter. "Oh that's the good stuff." Nick muttered to himself as he took a look at Louis, who was clearly feeling the burn. "Oh god, what the – hell was that shit?!" He barely said as he inspected the remaining droplets at the bottom of his glass.

"That's the Devil's Drink Lou, the good stuff."

"It certainly did _not_ taste good." Louis replied with the same face of disgust.

"You'll get used to it. Trust me." Nick commented as he began to fill his glass up again.

"Up for another round?"

 **Back on the Streets**

Ellis and Zoey didn't waste much time scavenging for things. That wasn't what they were here for. They didn't want to be here at all. They wanted to be back at the safety of the flat. They were always in danger out here.

The pair was currently cutting through an apartment block. The street was filled with infected and they decided sneaking by would be their best option. The two climbed a steep stairs which would lead them up to the apartments.

"I goddamn hate stairs." Zoey complained, a little bit out of breath. "I don't know which is worse, a tank or a long flight of stairs."

Ellis chuckled to himself. "Have to agree with ya there, this many stairs will do something bad to my back." He replied jokingly. When they reached the top, they were met with long, dimly lit hallway with various doors on either side.

"Umm, any ideas which one?" Zoey asked. Ellis shrugged and walked up to the first door on the left. He kicked the door open with one powerful breach with his leg. The door smashed open, revealing a nice apartment. Ellis took a quick peak inside, seeing no sign of escape. "Nope. Not here. Let's keep lookin'."

The two continued searching each room in the hallway in haste; looking for any possible escape from the apartment block. They were quick, not bothering to actually search the room for anything besides a possible escape. Ellis smashed open another door and quickly scanned around. Something on the wall caught Ellis' interest.

Ellis strolled over to the object on the adjacent wall. Hung high up on the wall, was an expensive looking katana. As he took it into his hands, he observed the thin but dangerously sharp blade, wishing good luck to anything or anyone that it was swung at. He then had a thought.

"Hey Zoey! Have a look at this!" He hollered out, giving the sword a few light swings. She popped her head round the door and her face instantly lit up when she saw the weapon. "Holy shit, that looks so awesome! Where did you find it?" She exclaimed as she sauntered over to him. "On the wall behind me. Jus' sittin' there, lookin' all lonely." He commented as he offered it to her.

"Here, you have it." He said with a grin. She shook her head and smirked. "No Ellis, you found it. You deserve to keep it." She refused but Ellis was having none of it. "I already have my baseball bat; besides, I would take my own arm off with it most likely." He joked as he almost forced it into her hands. She smiled at him and examined the sword, getting into her fighting stance. Ellis found the sheath for it and threw it to her, she connected it around her back.

"I reckon you look like the girl form 'Kill Bill' with that in your hands." Ellis admitted with a grin. "I _wish._ " She replied as she looked at him with a smile.

Suddenly, she leapt straight at him and caught him in a rather air crushing hug, her arms wrapped his shoulders. "Thanks Ellis. This is so awesome." She smiled as he shook his head. "It's no problem, don't worry about it." He responded, patting her back.

She released him from the death grip and placed the katana back in the sheath before they left the room. Ellis burst through another door and inspected the room. He noticed something out the window. "Hey, there's a fire escape here!" He called as he opened the window, revealing a stairwell down into an alleyway.

"Great. _More stairs_." Zoey complained as she began to climb out the window and onto the metal walkway.

 **Back at the bridge**

This was getting ridiculous.

Where the hell could they be? Coach, Francis and Rochelle had spent nearly _three_ hours searching for their friends and they didn't find a _trace_. It was getting harder and harder to have hope for them. There was nothing to lead on.

They trudged over to the balcony and Coach hollered up. "Nick, Louis! We're back!" However, they were met with rather strange singing.

" _I'm sitting on tooop, of the wooooorld!"_

The three looked at each other in clear confusion. What the hell was going on in there?

"Guys! Come out here!" Coach yelled up again.

Nick suddenly burst the balcony doors open, gawking down at the three with a huge grin on his face. His usual nothing-but-business stature was now replaced by a man who could hardly stay upright. They could hear Louis yelling out a song in the background.

"Hey! You guys are back j-just in time for the party!"

 _A/N: Goddamn it. You leave Nick and Louis alone for two hours and they get heavily drunk. They're a bad influence on each other. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the wait._

 _Until next time._


	17. Different Perspective

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them as always. Hope you're enjoying the story anyway! Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 17: Different Perspective**

Coach didn't take well to Nick and Louis' intoxication. He was quite angry actually. Louis was a mess. His tie was around his head and he refused to stop singing. Francis and Rochelle tried their best to hold in their laughter and look serious at the usually calm and collected Louis in his inebriated state.

The flat reeked of poorly mixed alcohol and cheap beer. It was pretty surprising that Nick and Louis were this drunk. They were always level-heads and no messing about. How the hell did this happen?

At first, Coach demanded that both men clean up their mess. He was frustrated after coming back from their search empty handed to this mess. However, after reanalysing how drunk the pair still were, he came to the conclusion that they would probably just make a bigger mess if they tried.

He ordered both men to sleep it off and let them stumble off to rest. Nick collapsed onto one of the sleeping bags in the sitting room while Louis somehow dragged himself into the bedroom. Whether he actually made it to the bed, they didn't know.

The three cleaned up most of the aftermath, annoyed that they were cleaning up their mess. Coach assured them that he was currently coming up with a punishment for their irresponsible actions when they woke up.

Coach wasn't angry about the mess they made or the stench left behind; he was mad because they could've attracted unwanted company to the flat with all the noise they were making. They were all tired and angry and worried. They were feeling a million different emotions to be honest. This wasn't an easy time for any of them. They didn't need this kind of trouble right now.

They were all losing hope. They all knew it. They didn't want to but it was inevitable.

They just wanted to get out of that goddamn flat.

 **Back on the Streets**

Rain clouds were coming in from off in the near distance, the sun poking its rays out from behind them. Ellis spotted this from the truck trailer he was scanning the nearby area on top of. Zoey stood gazing up at him, praying he would exclaim he saw something he remembered.

But that never happened. He dropped down off the trailer carefully and shook his head, cancelling her hopes.

"Nah, nothin' but incoming rainclouds." He explained as he pulled his sniper rifle back out. They were both running low on ammo. This was the least of their problems right now.

"I did see some docks over yonder." He added as he quickly repositioned his cap. "Shall we have a look there?"

Zoey couldn't honestly think of anything better to do. She was following his lead since they set off. "Sure, lead the way."

Ellis strolled behind the trailer and squeezed himself through a gap in the brick wall, waiting for Zoey on the other side. They were now in a mostly vacant carpark, a chain link fence on the other side. Ellis marched over to it and Zoey gazed out over the dock through the fence.

Then it hit her. Like a tonne of bricks.

"This is- this is the- where I-" She was struggling to speak. She couldn't believe it. This was the dock she had arrived in Rayford in. She stared over at the other side of the harbour in shock.

Sure enough, there was the train. It was above the dock on a concrete overpass. They could still get up to it though. She couldn't believe it. She was back here.

The beginning of the end for Bill.

Ellis noticed the look on her face and was slightly concerned for her. "Zo? You alright?" He asked, looking into her eyes. She still couldn't speak.

"Ellis- This is- Bill." She stuttered.

When Ellis heard her vague mutterings about Bill, he instantly knew this wasn't a location of fond memories for her. He remembered Louis' warning about Zoey and not to mention Bill. However, Zoey seemed to be suddenly filled with determination.

"You see the train?" She asked as she glared at him momentarily, waiting for his response. He seemed confused but nodded anyway. "Let's get up to it." She said and set off across the dock, now taking charge. It started to lightly drizzle, the vast rainclouds had moved in over their heads, an accurate metaphor for their mood.

" _What are you doing, Zo?"_ Ellis thought to himself.

She didn't even look at the zombie as she shot it right in the head with her pistol; she casually walked over its corpse and continued down the boardwalk. Ellis was worried about what she was going to do. The pair reached the overpass, quickly dispatching any lingering infected.

"Give me a lift up." She ordered in a weirdly calm tone. Ellis got down on one knee and hoisted her up onto the overpass. Knowing she wouldn't be strong enough to lift him up, he dragged a nearby pile of lobster cages over and climbed up to her. She was acting very strange, why does she want to see the train?

The trains' powerful headlights were still working, the huge metal machine sat still and fully functional. Now that she had made it to the train, Zoey herself was confused about why she bothered at all; she was confused about why she wanted to come up here. The rain started to get heavier as the sky churned more unclear and nasty.

"We could take cover in the train?" Zoey suggested, looking up at the gloomy sky. Ellis just nodded and followed her lead again. The train would suffice as shelter until the rain passed. The train that saved Zoey. The train that abandoned that doctor all that while ago.

Zoey began to regret ever coming back to it.

 **Back at the Flat**

Nick awoke to the sound of annoying chatter from the other room and pure agony in his head. His throat felt like sandpaper.

" _I need water._ "

Nick got to his feet and the banging in his head worsened.

" _This place better have aspirin somewhere."_

He trudged into the main room to see Coach, Francis and Rochelle staring back at him. He gave them a glower; his face gave the impression ' _kill me now'_. The smug looks on their faces already told Nick that they were almost happy to see him like this. He dragged himself into the kitchen and pulled out some water from the fridge. He downed nearly the whole bottle which quenched the deathly thirst in his throat and eased the pain in his head marginally.

He returned into the main room and collapsed into one of the seats, feeling all three pairs of eyes on him.

"Sorry." Was all he was able to croak out. Coach gave a brief chuckle while shaking his head.

"I was plannin' on givin' you a punishment." Coach began, Nick groaned at the remark.

"But seein' the way ya are now, I think this is good enough." He added with a smirk that Nick would love to wipe off his face.

"Thanks big guy." Nick muttered as he held his head in his hands. He presumed Louis had not awoken yet and waited with anticipation to see the state he would be in. He guessed the others were as well.

Not too long later, the bedroom door swung open and a tall figure bounded towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"That would be Louis." Rochelle remarked in a low voice. Francis laughed to himself. "Looks like poor ol' Lou couldn't handle his booze." Coach and Rochelle laughed at his comment and Nick even gave somewhat of a grin, if you call it that.

Coach rose from his seat and stretched his back. "I'mma go make dinner." He stated as he strolled into the kitchen. "Yeah, I'll give you a hand." Rochelle added as she zipped in behind him, leaving Francis and a suffering Nick in the main room. Neither of them said anything as they heard pots and pans clink in the kitchen.

"I hate awkward silences." Francis mumbled with his arms crossed.

 **Back at the Train**

The rain didn't seem to be letting up, much to Zoeys' dread. The pair were slumped against the wall of the boxcars. They hadn't really said much to each other, they were waiting for the rain to blow over. However, it gave no immediate signs of doing so. She hated being here; it brought back unpleasant memories to her. Memories she didn't want to remember.

Ellis wanted to say something, to kill this silence between them. He had measured up a million different things he could say but eventually, settled on one.

He cleared his throat and asked "Where were ya when this all started?"

Zoey didn't reply. She just sat there, staring at the wall. Ellis' heart sank completely as he looked down at the floor, kicking himself for saying anything.

"I was at home with my parents." She suddenly said in a soft voice. Ellis nodded and was relieved that he had got a response. "That's where I was. It all happened so quickly." She added, leaving Ellis wondering what she meant by that.

"One of them crashed through our front door and attacked my mom. My dad managed to kill it. She got bit." Zoey continued, still looking at the wall. Ellis was horrified, staring at her in shock.

"Dad went to check on her and she bit him. She went absolutely crazy. Dad had to kill her." Her stare was now on Ellis and he seemed to be struggling underneath it.

"My dad told me I had to kill him. I didn't think I could do it. He told me that I was the strongest person he knew. He gave me his gun and said 'I love you'."

"Zo-Zoey, you d-don't need to-"

"And then I killed him. That was it. I had no more family. They were gone." Her voice cracked near the end of the sentence, she couldn't take it anymore. All the hours of bottling up her pain and anger and anguish, she couldn't hold it in anymore.

She just broke down completely.

Zoey hated crying in front of the others, it made her feel weak and dependant, almost like a burden to them. She was meant to be strong, like her dad said she was. Ellis had his arms around her before she even knew it. She didn't deny him though; she buried her head into the soft fabric of his t-shirt and sobbed. She missed her parents so much. She missed everyone. She missed her friends. She missed normal life. She missed Bill.

Ellis hushed her as he stroked her hair gently, comforting her. He felt awful, he did this. He should have never asked her that stupid question. Ellis let her cry into his chest as he softly tucked a stray bang behind her ear. He knew he had to say something to make her feel better.

"Zo, that sounds awful. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to do that." He gushed out, getting no response. She had stopped crying and he could tell she was listening.

"But at least you know they're both in a better place now." He said quietly, still stroking her. She looked up at him, her mascara running down her face. She was signalling for him to elaborate.

Ellis had to be careful in how he phrased this.

"Zo, no person should have to go through what you went through. I couldn't have. But they're no longer in pain Zo." He cleared his throat before he continued again. She was gazing up at him, listening intently.

"They don't have to suffer this world like we do. They're safe and no longer in pain. Nothing can hurt them anymore." He pointed out.

"I wish I could have that same peace o' mind."

She raised her eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?" She asked softly.

Ellis hesitated for a minute before continuing. "I have no idea what happened to my Ma." He explained, his tone considerably drained of any happiness.

"She could be dead or alive or in trouble and needing my help or…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. He swallowed the pain that was building in his chest.

"She could be one of them."

Zoey didn't even say anything. She didn't need to. She just wrapped her arms around him and curled up on his lap, head still resting now resting just below his shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers and sighed, desperately trying to fight off the tears that threatened to fall. They needed each other's warmth and comfort right now. There was no need for talking or apologies. They didn't need to sleep.

They both knew they needed each other more than ever right now. Only they knew each other's struggle. Zoey was shocked. Ellis had to live with the unknown fate of his mother. All day, every day.

The rain that battered against the boxcar perfectly summed up their mood.

 _A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! T'was a pretty sad one to write but I am enjoying writing it none the less. Reviews are always appreciated!_

 _Until next time_


	18. A New Light

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. I was thinking about adding OC's into the story. Or making another separate story about those OC's. There are four of them. Now I'm cool with leaving them out or adding them in at some point, it's up to you guys. So please give me feedback on that. Anyway, on with the story. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 18:**

They still hadn't moved after around an hour or so. They were content in each other's presence, Zoey still remained curled up on his lap. Ellis kept stroking up and down her back slowly. The rain had stopped long ago but they remained where they were.

Zoey was trying to figure out something to say. It was a worry that was fresh on her mind, especially now that they were out here by themselves.

"Ellis, will you promise me one thing?"

She felt him move a little under her as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah sure, what Zo?"

She hesitated for a second, not wanting to sound childish.

"Don't leave me Ellis. Please don't leave me." She said solemnly.

It sounded desperate and rather random, but Ellis didn't question it.

"Yeah, of course Zo. I won't leave ya. Why would I?" He replied in a strangely low voice.

Zoey wasn't sure he knew what she meant when she said 'Don't leave me'. She obviously had to clarify it for him.

"What I mean is please don't die, Ellis. I wouldn't be able to bear this without you."

Zoey felt like she was being a little too overbearing on Ellis, but it was true. If Ellis died, that would be it for her. Too many people she cared about were gone; she needed Ellis to make it out alive. He was so innocent and happy, like she was once, but Ellis had retained that part of him despite all of the death and horror that constantly surrounded him.

She admired him for that.

Ellis had a rather serious look on his face. "Of course I won't die, Zo. You ain't getting rid o' me that easy."

Zoey gave him a small grin before settling back down into his warmth. Ellis always seemed to know how to cheer her up, whether it was his constant optimism or his sheer goofiness, Ellis always knew how to make her smile.

"What age are ya, Zo?" He asked as he tucked a loose strand of hair on her forehead behind her ear.

"Well I was 20 when I last checked." She answered as she traced the tattoo on his muscular arm. "But my birthday was coming up so I might be 21 now, I'm not sure."

"Oh so you think you're 21 now? So you may or may not be able to drink booze?" He said with a grin.

"I guess so. It's like a constant game of roulette. Hopefully, the next time I decide to destroy my liver, a cop won't be around." She replied, returning the smile. "How old are you?" She quickly added.

"Me? I'm 23. And I can assure you that." Ellis joked. "Maybe I can buy you booze."

"Yeah, I'd like that Ellis. But I'd have to snitch on you for buying alcohol for a possibly underage person." Zoey laughed.

"Dammit. Last time I buy alcohol for a 20 year old."

The pair both laughed hysterically as they used each other as support. Zoey missed this. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she laughed this hard. There was never time to be joking around in times like these.

The two calmed down and relaxed back into each other, content and relaxed. You could say they nearly forgot about what was happening outside. This train Zoey dreaded was now a place she would remember for having a good time with Ellis. The train which lead onto that collapsed bridge and when you cut underneath the bridge, it leads you to the…

Then it hit Zoey. How had she not noticed earlier? She had completely forgotten. This whole time she was sitting in the boxcar feeling sorry for the two of them, she forgot that she simply had to retrace the steps all the way back to the bridge. The way her group of four originally took to get there. How stupid was she?

"Ellis. Ellis! I have it Ellis!" She exploded as she sat up in his lap to face him. He looked confused her sudden explosion of life but listened closely.

"I know the way back from here, Ellis! I know how to get back to the bridge Ellis!" She beamed in pure delight. Ellis' face instantly transformed form a questioning look to pure joy.

"You're kiddin' me, ain't ya?" He asked with a nervous laugh. She shook her head and grabbed his arms.

"I'm not Ellis, I promise. I know the way back!"

Ellis jumped to life and wrapped his arms around her and laughed like a madman. He got onto his feet, pulling her up with him and swung her around in a bear hug. Zoey just giggled as she clung to his shoulders.

Ellis set her down and looked into her eyes.

"Lead the way Zo, I'll be right behind you." He exclaimed with a smile.

 **Back in the Flat**

Nick knew he had to say it. He sat at the table, picking at the clumps of white rice on his plate which was accompanied by beans of some sort. The conman scanned the room, Louis had managed to drag himself into the main room but turned down dinner, Coach was already demolishing his meal and Francis and Rochelle were talking in quiet voices, Nick heard the odd giggle from Rochelle so he doubted it was a serious talk.

He had to mention it to them now. They couldn't wait around for Ellis and Zoey forever, as much as he wanted to find the pair. Nick knew he would get nothing but strong opposition against the notion at first but hopefully he would be able to convince them to actually think about the point he was trying to make.

Ellis and Zoey were most likely dead at this point.

They had to move forward without them. They still had to get to New Orleans some way or another. Nick guessed that the infected would soon overrun New Orleans if they took too long. Hell, they could already be too late for all he knew.

He had to say it; whether they wanted to hear it or not.

"So, what's the time limit on searching for those two before we realize it's hopeless?" Nick enquired rather venomously. The way he had put it was harsh. His question was met with temporary silence.

"The search will end when we find them." Francis grumbled from the other side of the table. Nick just sneered at his answer.

"And what if we don't find them?" He replied as he leaned back in his seat, everyone knew exactly what the conman was getting at.

"I don't care about what you think Suit, I'm gonna keep looking until we do." Francis responded, slight irritation becoming evident in his tone.

"Look, I'm not trying to start shit. But we really gotta look at this realistically, how long before we give them before we decide that they… That they got out?" Nick had obviously changed what he was about to say at the last second, but everyone knew exactly what he was going to say.

"I already gave you my answer. We stop looking when we find them." Francis repeated. "But to me, it sounds like you _already_ want to give up."

Nick shook his head and sneered. "Did I ever say that? I'm clearly the only one who has thought about this."

"Nick, we all thought about this. We ain't leaving either of them out there. They're our friends." Coach explained.

"You're still missing the point! Do expect in ten years' time to still be in this flat, checking the same streets over and over for any sign of them? Grow up and realize how ridiculous you guys sound."

"Screw you Nick! If you want to give up on them, then the door is right fucking there!" Francis yelled at the conman, his hands were now balled up into fists.

"I'm not giving up on them you brainless fuck. I'm being realistic, as I mentioned before. Now calm down and let's talk this out like gentlemen, yes?" Nick was being oddly negotiable, not a noted trait of his in the past.

Francis sat back down in his seat and crossed his arms. Rochelle put her hand on his arm and gave him a sincere look. He gave her a small but meaningless smile.

"Now, I'm not saying I'm giving up, I'm saying there should be an end to the search after a certain amount of time." He reasoned.

"How long do you have in mind?" Louis asked, he looked awful from his incident earlier.

Nick just shrugged. "Maybe another few days at best."

"No goddamn way! A few days?! That's-

"That is more than enough time Francis." Louis interrupted. The biker was shocked. Was Louis really siding with Suit?

Coach nodded and sighed heavily. "Fine Nick, another few days. Then what?"

"Then we make our way to New Orleans."

 **Back on the Streets**

The vast warehouse was very dark. Most of the windows were boarded up, only cracks of light seeping through. The pair continued on through the murky warehouse. The few generator lights that were still functional acted as the only light in the place. Most of the large building was shrouded in darkness.

"Yeah, I remember this place. I think we went this way." Zoey remarked as she lead Ellis through the darkness. She retraced her steps, they were now in a maze of wooden planks which were stacked up high and assorted into rows. The place was mostly quiet except for the few snarls of lurking infected they had caught the attention of.

Zoey fired precisely at the emerging infected with her pistols, dispatching them carefully. She had become extremely skilled with the dual pistols; she almost didn't have to aim sometimes.

"Well goddamn, Annie Oakley!" Ellis exclaimed from behind her, admiring her marksmanship.

"I think I'm a bit off being that good just yet, Ellis." She replied with a laugh.

"Well, ya never know. You'd school my ass at shootin' anyway." He remarked as he scanned the darkness for anything that wanted to kill them.

The trip to the warehouse was a trip of nostalgia and dread for Zoey. She remembered this warehouse, being here with Bill and the others. The quicker they did this, the less she would have to think about it. She couldn't be thinking about that right now.

They came out the end of the wooden plank rows and were now in a narrow hallway. Large pipes ran along the right wall, boarded windows with slits of light on the left. Zoey marched through with Ellis following behind her. He didn't look the like of this place; the darkness was making him uneasy. Anything could grab either one of them at any point. He could see about five feet in front of him.

As if on cue, a hand quickly grabbed from an outlet in the right wall. It clawed at Ellis' shoulder and spun him around. He was face-to-face with one of those monsters. It yelled guttural nonsense and began slashing at him, violently trashing its limbs at him.

Ellis was knocked out of his trance and managed to pull the barrel of his sniper rifle in the direction of the infected and fired twice. The zombie had stopped hitting him.

Ellis looked up and saw the monster keeling over, its entrails spilling onto the cold concrete floor, adding the raging red of its blood with the dreary grey of the concrete. It was fucking disgusting to watch its intestines spill out of its body. Ellis gagged and quickly turned away as he heard it topple onto the ground.

Zoey was quick to run over to him, checking him over for any injuries. "Are you alright?" She asked with urgency on her voice, she worried too much. Ellis shook his head and grinned. "I'm fine. Bastard grabbed me from the dark." He smirked as he gestured to the mess behind him.

"I just wish I-

Ellis didn't get to finish his sentence as a distant shriek from down the hallway, where they came from, silenced him. The two shots he fired must have echoed throughout the whole building.

The two were frozen. The nearing sound of shuffling feet and snarls in the dark was what brought them back to Earth.

"Ellis, run. Shit Ellis, RUN!"

He didn't need to be told twice. He burst into a sprint, following Zoeys' lead. The sound of the infected not too far behind him made him run twice as fast as usual. He was terrified of the unseen threat behind him.

"Left!" Zoey called out in front of him before swerving down another hallway in that direction.

The infected sounded hot on their heels. They couldn't stop running or else they would be ripped apart.

Ellis was never as scared as he was right now.

 **Back at the Flat**

Louis had returned to some state of content. He didn't feel like battered shit anymore. Things had cooled down a bit from the heated argument earlier. Nick and Coach talked away in the main room about ammo and where to find some in Rayford. Francis, Louis and Rochelle were holding up in the sitting room.

Louis and Rochelle were both sitting on the worn out coach. Francis was leaning up against the wall, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest. The mood was relaxed but slightly worried. The time limit to find the pair was a four days tops; they felt like they were simply wasting time sitting here.

"I hate waiting." Francis grumbled as he glared at the floor.

"For once Francis, I have to agree with you. Waiting sucks." Louis replied with a sigh.

"Where could we even think to search for them? They could be anywhere right now." Rochelle pointed out in a frustrated tone.

Francis just shrugged. "I have no idea Ro. Let's just hope they haven't wandered too far."

Louis nodded and relaxed back into the couch. He was fed up of their situation. It felt hopeless in his opinion. They could be anywhere in Rayford right now. Hell, they could be anywhere in this state or further right now. How were they supposed to find them like this? They needed a better plan.

"We need a better idea. We need to change our plan." Louis said calmly as he got questionable stares and raised eyebrows from the other two.

"What do you mean, Louis?" Rochelle enquired in a curious voice.

"The way we're looking for them clearly isn't working. We need a new method." Louis explained as he sat up again.

"What do you have in mind?" Rochelle asked.

"That's all I've come up with so far." Louis shrugged.

The three fell into a thoughtful silence, quickly trying to find a new method.

"What about a flare or something? We shoot one up into the sky at night and they'll have to see it." Francis suggested as he cracked his knuckles.

"Maybe. Where would we find one?" Louis responded.

"Wouldn't that attract a shit tonne of zombies?" Rochelle pointed out. The other two men nodded and groaned.

"Goddamn you Ro, and your common sense." Francis muttered.

"Sorry to crush your bad idea, Francis." Rochelle chuckled.

It wasn't going to be easy but at least they were making some progress.

Isn't that always the case?

 **Back in the Warehouse**

The pair burst through the large saferoom door and slammed it behind them, dragging any debris in the room over to the door. The banging was heavy on the door but after a few minutes, it died down and the infected lost interest. Zoey moved over to a table and sat herself down on it.

The pair were catching their breath after that brutal run. They had finally made it, they were finally safe. Well, for now at least.

Ellis strolled over sat down on the table next to her. Without uttering a word, she collapsed into his arms, tired and broken. Ellis just let her relax into him. He knew Zoey was still hurting. It hurt him seeing her like this. He wanted nothing else but to relieve her of that pain. She had watched as her father put her mother down. She was forced to put down her own father. She lost her close friend Bill to these monsters.

She deserved to get away from all this more than anyone that was left in the world.

They were both tired and fed up. They weren't too far now, according to Zoey. Ellis looked down at his arm, which was causing excruciating pain for him. While a pretty alarming issue, there was nothing he could do about it right now.

He looked back down at Zoey, her head resting against his shoulder; she was staring off into space. She must've sensed his gaze because she turned around and looked up at him.

This caught Ellis off guard; he suddenly began to blush and he tried to hide it, very badly. Zoey giggled and quickly flicked his ear with her finger.

Ellis jumped back a little at the slight pain and his signature grin returned to his face. He tried to return the favour with his uninjured arm. Zoey laughed as she fought him off, holding his muscular arm back with her two. He broke free of her grasp and quickly sent a sly flick to her ear lobe.

"You bastard!" She joked as she looked up at him, smiling from ear-to-ear. She tried to trick Ellis by dummying a move with her right hand but then quickly send her left hand at the opposite ear. Ellis was quick; he saw the ploy and caught her hand.

Then it took a strange turn. They slowly stopped smirking and just gazed into each other's eyes. His unnaturally baby blue eyes enthralled her sometimes. She never noticed that they were this close.

Before either of them knew what was happening, their lips were lightly pressed together. She didn't know who instigated the kiss but she didn't care. They were hesitant at first but gradually got more relaxed. Ellis had one hand resting on the table, the other placed hesitantly on her waist. Her hands were gently running through his wavy hair. Ellis was in near shock. He _had_ to be dreaming or something. He was struggling to figure out if this was happening or if he had drifted off and this was a dream.

Zoey never had a boyfriend in her normal life; she never really looked for one. Most of the guys on her college campus were jerks. But Ellis wasn't like them. Sure, the situation was a bit different than it was back then, of course, but Ellis has been nothing less of a complete gentleman to her. Since day one, he had always been kind and courteous. She began to shift her weight onto him, the kiss getting deeper.

It felt mesmerising to her. She moved one of her hands from his hair to his cheek. Zoey never thought she would ever do this with Ellis, she never thought she would feel this way about Ellis; but she couldn't deny she was loving every second of it. His lips were so soft and warm and sweet. She gasped as he slowly moved his hand up her back.

But it was wrong. They shouldn't be doing this. She can't afford to get this close to Ellis. She couldn't afford to have her heart broken again.

She broke away rather suddenly, startling Ellis.

"I'm so sorry Ellis. I-I just can't- Please Ellis, don't-

She struggled to explain herself. The confused and hurt expression on his face killed her alone. She had ruined such a nice moment. But she had to, as much as she hated it. She couldn't be involved in any romance. It would just end up hurting her, like most people she got close to.

Why did she always get herself caught up in these things?

 _A/N: Goddamn it. This is going to be awkward. They just couldn't keep their hands off each other, could they? Stay tuned, folks. Reviews are heavily appreciated, as always._

 _Until next time._


	19. Into the light

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. So I got a good bit of feedback over the OC's (Thanks all of you guys for that_ _J_ _) and most of you guys gave me the go ahead to do so. I won't add them right away; I'll give them more time. I'm not sure when but not anytime soon. Anyway thanks again for your opinion! Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 19: Into the Light**

Ellis could literally _feel_ the red on his cheeks. This could not be any more embarrassing for him. And looking at Zoey, he could safely say the same thing for her, judging by the equally crimson face and averting stare. Ellis was completely in the dark about why she had broken the kiss. It seemed to him that it was fine. Was it something he did?

It had to be when he moved his hand from her waist and moved it slowly up her back.

" _Maybe she thought I was makin' a move for her bra?!"_ Ellis panicked. There was no way in hell would he ever do something like that. His mama had raised him better than that. He suddenly felt rather guilty, even though that was not what he was trying to do.

"Listen Zo, I wasn't-

"Ellis. It's not your fault. It was mine." She cut him off.

What did she mean by that? He had to explain himself to her.

"Zo, I never meant to, you know-

"I know Ellis, it's my fault. I'm _so_ sorry Ellis. Please, I-I didn't mean to do that, I just got carried away."

Ellis let out a slight sigh and stood up from the table. He had screwed it up. He had screwed his one chance with the girl of his dreams. The worst part was that he had no idea how.

"Shall we um, get going?" Zoey blurted out, desperate to get out of this goddamn room. It felt like the walls were closing in. They had barely been in the saferoom for ten minutes.

Ellis just nodded.

" _I've blown it with the girl o' my dreams."_

The thing is, Zoey meant so much to Ellis. More than she would ever know, more than Ellis himself would ever probably know himself. He had long established that her safety was a higher priority than his own.

Now, Zoey was gorgeous in Ellis' eyes. The most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on in actual fact. But she was _so_ much more than that.

Zoey loved video games and all of Ellis' favourite movies. She loved hearing about his misadventures with Keith, never once cutting him off but rather listened intently to all of them and laughing hysterically at them. She shared his immature and goofy sense of humour. Ellis would always hear her giggle whenever he let out a childish joke that everyone else would just roll their eyes at.

Ellis loved her strange obsession of peanut butter. He loved her style of clothes. He loved the small fist bump and cheesy line she would deliver when she dispatched a hunter or a smoker with ease. He loved her perfect, genuine laugh was like music to his ears.

He loved the fact that she was a deadeye shot. He loved the few strands of hair that hung over her face that she would always seem to forget about but quickly brush them behind her ear when she remembered them. Ellis loved her gentle touch when she changed the bandages on her arm. He loved how she could look out for herself and nobody had a doubt about it.

Ellis could go on forever, but to put it bluntly:

Ellis loved her.

And he somehow screwed up the easy part after doing the hard part.

Zoey starting to reload her weapons was what woke Ellis out of his trance. He never even realised how tired he was. Or how heavy his eyelids felt. Or how hot it had gotten in the room. How weak his legs were, struggling to hold himself up.

The mechanic stumbled over to the wall, using it to hold his suddenly incredibly heavy body upright.

"Ellis?"

He was sweating now. Why was he sweating? What the hell was going on?

Ellis took a few deep breaths. Why was everything so goddamn hot? Zoey was slowly approaching him, a look of deep concern on her face.

His legs couldn't hold out any longer.

He crashed down onto the floor.

"Ellis!"

That was the last thing he heard.

Then everything went black.

 **Back at the Flat**

They had informed Nick of Louis' idea. At first, he just snorted and told them to come back to him when they had an actually good idea. But after a while, the conman found himself in the sitting room alongside Coach and the others, brainstorming a possible idea.

The sun was setting gently outside on the horizon. It was a rather relaxed mood in the flat. Louis sat with Coach and Nick at the table, contemplating what the hell they were going to possibly signal the missing pair with.

Rochelle was joking around with Francis on the couch; Nick noticed that they seemed to be getting close to one another. He didn't take too much mind to it however.

"So, Ro, what age are you?" Francis asked with a large grin.

"Francis! Don't know that it's rude to ask someone their age?!" Rochelle seemed joking and serious at the same time somehow.

The biker just shrugged. "Sugar, you don't look a day over 21."

"Oh stop flirting you dumbass." Rochelle remarked as she digged him playfully on his muscular arm; a slight blush on her face.

"What? I'm being serious!" Francis exclaimed as he sat up.

Rochelle just laughed and shook her head.

"You sure know how to flatter a girl, don't you?"

Francis shrugged again.

"Well, I'm 29, for your information." She informed him.

"Could be worse, you could be 32, like myself." Francis pointed out.

"Yeah, I can see that you're around that age." She joked as she giggled.

"Hey! Where's my 'flattering'?" Francis protested as Rochelle got up off the couch.

"You're a 32 year old with big muscles." Rochelle offered with a smirk as she walked towards the door.

"Okay, I figure that is about all I'm getting." He admitted.

"You're damn right." She laughed as she slinked away into the main room.

Francis just shook his head and grinned to himself.

 _"_ _What a girl."_

 **Back in the Saferoom**

Ellis fluttered his eyelids slightly, his throat was dry and his head ached horribly. He felt incredibly weak; he could barely open his eyes. Everything was hot.

 _"_ _Water. I need water"_

Ellis tried to sit up but the pain in his head condemned him of this. Suddenly, a pair of hands came over his head, placing it carefully back down onto something soft and warm.

He recognized the gentle touch.

He remembered where he was.

He knew who it was.

Zoey.

"Don't get up, Ellis. You need to rest." A soft voice told him.

He slowly opened his eyes and was met with those green emeralds' he had grown to adore. Zoeys' worried face gazed back down at him.

Ellis caught up with his surroundings. He was still on the saferoom floor; his head was resting on Zoeys' lap. She ran her fingers gently through his wavy hair, comforting him. His hat had been placed beside him.

"W-water?" He struggled to ask.

Zoey nodded and reached over, grabbing her bag and taking out a bottle of water.

"There's some here. But it's half empty." Zoey commented as she handed it to him.

"Half full." He corrected her as he sat up to take a drink. Zoey gave him a small smile and waited for him to finish.

The water felt wonderful as it quenched his dry throat of its thirst. He screwed the cap back on to the bottle and handed it back to Zoey.

"Thanks Zo." He added as she placed his head back on her lap.

The two lay there in silence, Zoey continued to run her fingers through his hair. Ellis could sense there was something wrong with her.

"How long was I out for?" He asked in a rugged, deep voice.

"Around an hour." She replied. An hour? What the hell happened to him?

"You scared me, Ellis." She added after a moment. I didn't know what happened to you."

"I'm sorry Zo. I don't even know what happened either. I just felt weak all of a sudden." Ellis explained.

"Ellis, you scared me so much." She repeated. Her voice noticeably cracking.

Ellis looked up at her and frowned. Zoey quickly wiped her welling eyes. Not before a single tear fell from her cheek and landed on his face.

Ellis just sighed. He had broken his promise he had made earlier that day. He had let her be hurt. He was causing this pain and worry for her.

"Don't cry Zo. I promised I wouldn't leave you. And I won't. I don't break promises." Ellis stated as he gazed up at her.

"You better not." She said with a faint smile. Ellis gave her a grin in response.

"You should rest Ellis. I'll keep watch." Zoey suggested as she settled her back against the wall.

Ellis tried to protest, but his drooping eyelids persuaded him to take the offer. It didn't take long before the mechanic was out for the count.

Zoey leaned down and gently kissed his forehead.

"I'm sorry Ellis." She whispered before returning her hands to his hair.

 **A few hours later at the flat**

Coach sat at the window in the main room. Everyone else had dozed off in the sitting room. Nick had gotten the bed tonight, Louis stating that his leg was near enough fully healed.

The big man sighed. He missed his family terribly. Even if he just knew they were safe would put his worried mind to ease. He already had enough to worry about. His wife and daughter had hopefully made it to the helicopters and were now safely in the hands of the military.

All he could do was pray.

Coach knew they still had to find a way to New Orleans. His group had completely forgotten about finding a new vehicle now that Ellis and Zoey were their main problem. They still needed to find one and get their asses to the New Orleans as quick as possible.

Nick had set a timer for their return. If they weren't back within a certain number of days, they would be forced to presume the pair were either dead or they had left Rayford. Either way, they would be continuing without Ellis.

Coach missed the kid. He could be irritating at times and prone to his own curiosity, but Ellis was Ellis. It was hard to _not_ like him. His constant optimism and various attempts to impress the three gained him the role as the little brother of the group.

Coach found himself easily talking to the boy. Both being locals of Savannah, they shared many common interests such as Jimmy Gibbs Junior, the Midnight Riders and Whispering Oaks Theme Park. They would often find each other backing the other whenever Nick or Rochelle mocked any of their interests.

Coach hoped the two were safe, wherever they were. They were the two youngest survivors in the group, if they were to die, it would deflate them all completely.

Neither Ellis nor Zoey got to experience life at its fullest. Coach was grateful that he got to live a decent part of his life before all of this nonsense started. But for them, they won't be able to experience many great things because of this stupid apocalypse.

Coach felt worse for any _children_ that might be caught up in this mess.

He gazed back out the window and sighed again.

 _"_ _This ain't any kind of life to be livin'."_

 **A few hours later at the saferoom**

Zoey woke up slowly to Ellis shuffling slightly in her lap. She smiled and rubbed his cheek gently, noticing that it was strangely hot.

She yawned and gazed down at him. He was cute when he slept. She noticed his cap lying on the ground, she picked it up. It was odd to see Ellis without his cap on.

She examined the little truck on the front of it. It seemed very worn out, making her wonder how long he had the hat for. She guessed it probably meant a lot to him.

She gazed down at Ellis and back at the hat. He wouldn't mind, would he?

She carefully placed the hat on her head. It fitted her well enough, it was comfortable enough. She wished she could see herself wearing it.

"It suits you, ya know."

Zoey jumped a little and looked down, seeing Ellis smirking and his blue eyes gawking up at her.

"You scared me Ellis!" She groaned as she playfully digged him on the arm.

"Sorry 'bout that. But I'm not lying, it suits ya." He commented, his grin seemed plastered onto his face.

She smiled and handed his hat back to him. He placed it back on his head and yawned. He slowly sat up and stretched his back, a slight pop escaping.

"How are you feeling?" Zoey asked as Ellis helped her to her feet.

"A bit better. I'm hungry though." He responded as his stomach growled almost on cue.

Zoey frowned and shook her head.

"Sorry Ellis. We don't have any more food." She reported to him.

"Seriously? Shit…" Ellis cursed as he sat on the table.

"We aren't too far now. This is the last push." Zoey urged as she placed her pistols back in their holsters, it felt odd when they weren't there. She reattached the katana onto her back and swung her hunting rifle around her back.

Ellis took a few deep breaths and stood up again, grabbing his bat and tying it to his waist before picking up his sniper rifle. It was running desperately low on ammo. The pair walked over to the big red door that read 'EXIT' on gave a quick look at each other, nodding to signal they were ready.

"Okay, let's hit it."

Ellis burst the door open and the morning shone brightly on them both.


	20. Us against the world

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. Well, it's chapter 20 now. Geez. Things have gone pretty fast. We're not too far from the end of the story now. (I know, its tragic news.) A possible sequel in the balance? Maybe… Only time will tell my friends. As for now, I will finish this story out first. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Chapter 20: Us against the world**

Nick, Louis and Rochelle stood at the pier, gazing down at the sailboat that Louis and hopefully his two friends would be getting to the Florida Keys with. It wasn't a beauty but hell it would do the job.

The salty sea air hit them, it was refreshing. The gentle waves still crashed into the seawall. The pier was a nice escape from the hell back at the flat.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not using that raft to cross the ocean." Nick commented as he shuffled the AK-47 in his hands.

"It'll do to reach the Keys. Then I don't want to see it again." Louis replied. He wasn't a fan of the boats. Or the sea in general.

"Francis? On that thing? It will be on the sea floor before you even take off." Rochelle chuckled as she watched their flanks.

 _"_ _So this is where all this shit started."_ Louis thought to himself as he took in his surroundings. The brick wall behind them that the pair climbed along with Francis, to escape the horde.

"You know, this is almost somewhat relaxing." Nick admitted in a surprised tone as he cracked his knuckles. The conman was right.

Rochelle sighed and sat on the edge of the pier, taking in the late morning sun. It was a fairly warm but windy at the dock. Louis joined her as his feet dangled over the edge. Nick just leaned against the brick wall and crossed his arms, leaving his AK-47 standing upright against the wall.

Nick thought about whether or not New Orleans was the right call. He didn't trust the military, the other groups' warning only making him more cautious about them.

The conman doubted the other group would be comfortable with bringing them over to the Keys. They had already taken too much from them. He gazed back down at the sailboat. No way would it be able to cross the sea with seven people on board.

But it might with five.

Nick denied the idea. No way could they do that, Rochelle would have his head on a plate for even suggesting it.

Nick gave a rugged sigh and felt the scratchy stubble that was beginning to form on his face. He needed to keep an eye out for a car on the way back to the flat.

They would just have to place their hopes on New Orleans not being a complete bust.

 **Back on the streets**

Ellis was pale but he was sweating. Never a good sign. Zoey noticed this, and wished she could do something to help him, but she couldn't. She didn't have anything to help him with.

They had arrived at the beach on the dock, they weren't very far now. The college student kept reminding him of this; to keep him motivated. They waded through the water and climbed on top of the submerged boat in the bay, before leaping into the water on the other side. The pair climbed the ladder up to the building on the other side of the dock and continued on through it. Ellis was beginning to fall behind; Zoey waited up for him. She was really worried for him. He looked too pale.

They picked off infected with ease as they went along. Ellis had found a few magazines of ammo for his rifle which would keep him going for a little bit longer. He didn't have the strength to smash his way through the zombies with his baseball bat.

They climbed out of a broken window and jumped off the porch onto the mostly empty street below.

"This way, come on!" Zoey urged as she dispatched some zombies with her dual pistols.

They cut through what looked like a truck storage depot of some kind. A boomer waddled out from behind a wall and gurgled. Ellis spotted it and halted Zoey with his arm.

He aimed down the sights of his sniper rifle and fired once. They boomer imploded into a red mist, leaving behind only his legs.

"Nice shot El!" Zoey exclaimed as she gave him a smirk.

Ellis just shrugged and grinned.

The two marched on through the depot and ended up in a maze of shipping crates. Zoey remembered where they were, and thought about which way to go about it.

Ellis followed as Zoey navigated them through the containers, watching each passage with caution. A charger or a jockey would be devastating in a place like this. She gazed over her shoulder to see Ellis still right behind her, much to her relief.

They came out of the maze of containers and Zoey spotted the massive cargo ship. They were so close now.

"Nearly there Ellis, keep it together."

"I'll be okay, let's keep at it." He responded.

She saw the enclosed catwalk on top of the pile of gravel was their only way of getting on the ship. Zoey spotted the crows that were perched on the catwalk.

She fired a round off at them, they scattered off into the air in a volley of caws. She wasn't falling for that one again.

The climbed up the gravel pile, Ellis struggled a bit. It was taking its toll on him. He had a fever, that much was evident, from his unchanged bandages. They needed to change them as quickly as possible.

Zoey sighed. This was all bringing back bad memories for her. She remembered being on this boat the first time. She had been so oblivious about what he was going to do.

Now, she was close to losing another person she cared about.

She couldn't let Ellis die.

She couldn't lose him now.

Not now. Not ever.

 _"_ _I promise you Ellis, you're gonna make it."_

 **Back at the docks**

"So what do you think? It'll do as a replacement?" Nick asked as the three gazed at the SUV.

"It's a car, and a big one, I think it'll do for now." Rochelle replied.

Nick had spotted the SUV in a carpark on the way back to the flat. It was black in colour and looked spacious enough. It would definitely suffice in bringing them to New Orleans. It was a 5 seater, and it had a large trunk. Overall, Nick preferred it way more to the small, uncomfortable stock car.

All they needed now was Ellis.

"I'm telling ya, if it wasn't for me, we would've left this beauty untouched." Nick remarked as he gazed in the window of the car.

"You're starting to sound like Ellis." Rochelle commented with a slight chuckle.

"Nah, I'm not planning to marry it; so I'm a bit far off an 'Ellis obsession' just yet." Nick replied with smirk.

Rochelle laughed while Louis stood there, smirking. He didn't get the joke but he was glad that Rochelle was being a more lively and jubilant. She seemed a bit off this morning.

Good news was what the group needed. They finally sorted a replacement vehicle. All they needed was to find Ellis and Zoey and they would be on their way.

Nick somewhat doubted Ellis would ever come back. He feared he might almost be dead. Sure, Nick would be saddened by the kids' death but he would be more concerned over the others. It wouldn't exactly come as a shock to him; but he feared the others would not take the news exactly well.

Ellis was only a kid, as was Zoey. They didn't deserve to die. Not so early into their lives. No one deserved that.

Nick didn't like it, but he would have to stick to his words. If they weren't back within around two or three days, their group would be forced to move on without them. Whether the others would actually go along with that plan, he wasn't sure. But he knew they had to get moving soon. He was beginning to hate Rayford.

Scratch that, he _already_ hated Rayford; he did the minute he saw that raised bridge. But he had to stay there and now this place was driving him crazy. Nick wasn't the guy who settled down; he was always on the move. That's why all the moving to unknown areas didn't really faze him; he didn't really have a home. He was a drifter; he moved from city to city, he never stayed in one place for too long.

He needed to get out of here soon.

"Alright, we got you a car; let's head back to the flat." Louis instructed as he reloaded his Uzi.

Rochelle nodded and swung her FN-SCAR back into her hands. "Let's go Nick."

Nick stared into space before shaking his head and followed her orders; the conman turned around and continued on down the road.

 **Back at the ship**

Zoey hopped of the ship onto the levee filled with sand. The infected that were chasing them were picked off hastily. Ellis jumped the gap and landed on the moist pile of sand.

The pair trekked down the length of the levee, the infected were quickly dispatched as they tried to climb the sand mound, and the two used the height advantage cleverly. They continued on down the levee, Zoey kept gazing over at Ellis, he was still far too pale. His usual tanned skin was replaced with this milky white colour.

She tried not to worry about him but found herself unable to do so.

He must've known what she was thinking. "I'll be okay Zo. Are we nearly there?"

"It's a few minutes away El, hang in there." She exclaimed as they reached the end of the levee, cutting through the hole in the wall and ending up in another alley.

"Over this wall and we're nearly home dry El." Zoey urged him on. They were so close now. They had to make it. Ellis nodded and climbed on top of some stacked wooden pallets, using them as leverage to climb over the wall. Zoey followed in suit and leaped over the wall.

The infected instantly noticed them and charged angrily at the pair. Their combined gunfire picked them off as they instinctively stood back-to-back and shot the incoming zombies with ease. A Spitter hurled a glob of acid at them, but Zoey pulled Ellis out of the way quickly and dispatched the long necked infected. The two stopped and took in the carnage around them. The scattered corpses and the pools of blood were everywhere, but they were so used to it at this stage.

"Thanks Zo. I didn't even see the bitch coming." Ellis panted as he got back up to his feet.

"No problem El. We're nearly there." She replied with a smile.

Ellis grinned to himself. "Hell Zo, we make quite the team, don't we?"

"We sure do. Zombies better watch out when this duo comes rolling through!" Zoey joked with a laugh. She realized after how dorky she sounded, but Ellis seemed to have found it funny.

"You're damn right Zo. Now c'mon, let's get back to it." He chuckled but suddenly began to cough. At first, it was a normal cough but it turned into a violent fit; he doubled over, his hands on his knees.

"Christ Ellis, are you okay?" Zoey asked as she strolled over to him, putting her hand on his back.

He shook his head.

"C'mon El, we're almost there. We'll get you all patched up when we get to the flat, okay?" She stated.

He didn't respond, he just kept breathing heavily. Zoey began to panic. What if he collapsed again? She doubted she would be able to drag him the rest of the way.

"Please El, don't give up now. We're so close." She pleaded, concern evident on her voice. Ellis looked up and nodded.

I'm okay. Just a bit of a cough s'all." He reassured her as he returned to his normal stance.

They marched into another building; a generator light beamed towards them, behind it was the safe house door.

"There's the safe house Ellis! We're so close! Just hold in there." She stated as she climbed up the steps, Ellis lagging closely behind her.

They entered the safe house and bolted the door behind them. They had made it. They were safe now. The pair had made it back to the bridge.

 **At the flat**

There really was no purpose for Nick, Louis and Rochelle to go down to the docks; it was more of an excuse just to get out of the flat. However, Coach was in a good mood now that Nick had found a car.

Francis was talking to Louis about the existence of vampires, the IT technician constantly telling the biker to grow up. Coach, Nick and Rochelle sat by the table in silence, they were all thinking about their own personal matters.

Well, Rochelle just sort of eavesdropped on Francis' and Louis' conversation. She found it funny how immature Francis could act, and how worked up Louis could become. She couldn't lie about Francis; he was a fairly good looking man. And he was a funny guy too. He could be really sweet when he wanted to be.

 _"_ _Anyone!"_

Sometimes, Rochelle could swear she would hear Ellis saying something, but then she would remember what was going on.

 _"_ _Anybody?!"_

He sounded like he was right there.

 _"_ _Guys! Are you up there?!"_

Rochelle sat up. Did she really hear that? Or was her mind finally surrendering to madness? She could have sworn she heard someone.

However, when Rochelle saw everyone in the flat had frozen expressions and were listening closely, she knew it wasn't her imagination.

She bolted over to the balcony, slamming open the door and looked down onto the street; the others looking over her shoulder.

Rochelle couldn't believe it.

There stood Ellis and Zoey, with massive grins on their faces. They were covered with dried blood and dirt, but it didn't matter at all. They were alive. That's what mattered.

When they reached the top of the ladder, Rochelle crushed them both in a hug.

"You guys had me worried to death! Are you alright? Where have you guys been? We thought you were gone!" Rochelle gushed out with emotion, close to tears.

"We're fine Ro; it's great to see you too."

Rochelle released them and Zoey threw herself at Francis and Louis as Ellis strolled over to Coach and Nick. Both men caught her in an embrace, hugging the girl they missed so much tightly.

"I missed you guys so much." Zoey exclaimed as tears ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay Zoey, you're safe now." Louis hushed her. Everything was going to be okay. The two men were over the moon to see her safe and well.

"Glad to see you're still alive, Overalls." Nick stated with a smirk.

"Hey, thanks bro." Ellis replied with his signature grin.

"Don't call me bro."

 **2 hours later**

When Ellis' bandages were finally replaced, the pair was given food and water. They absolutely demolished their meals; they must have been starving. After being forced to take a rest, Ellis was back up again and looking better. Some colour had returned to his skin.

The now group of seven sat in the main room and listened to the pair tell their story of survival, well, it was mostly Ellis but Zoey chipped in every now and again.

"So we were cuttin' through this apartment block, and we were lookin' for a way out, and I burst open this room and see a goddamn katana!" Ellis dragged on.

"So I figured; hey, we shouldn't leave such an awesome thing behind, so I gave it to Zo." He gestured to the blade that was on exhibition on the table.

"So it was like a present for your first date?" Nick chimed; a dry laugh accompanied the sentence afterwards.

Ellis went visibly red. "Um, no, it was a uhh- It was a- I decided-

"He wanted me to have it, Colonel Sanders." Zoey retaliated with her arms crossed.

Nick raised his arms in defense. "It was just a joke! God, you all have no sense of humour." He muttered.

"Wait guys, I have an idea." Francis remarked, changing the subject, as he sat up and walked downstairs to the bar.

"What kind of genius idea will he produce for us now?" Louis commented.

Francis returned with a 6 pack of beer in each hand. Everyone's faces lit up almost immediately, a celebratory beer wouldn't do any harm.

Zoey didn't drink beer often. She sometimes had a bottle or two with her Dad back at home, she never really liked the taste. But my god, it tasted incredible right now. The dull fizziness was amazing, the bubbly feeling in her chest when she took a sip. She already felt more relaxed and glad to be back here.

Louis at first refused, not wanting to go near alcohol after the last incident, but was promised he only had to drink one and gave in.

Coach stood up, beer can in his hand. He got everyone's attention straight away.

"I would just like to make a toast, if I may." He began as a smile began to form on his face.

"I would like to thank y'all for savin' our asses and givin' us food and shelter. We appreciate it a lot." He stated as he looked at Francis, Louis and Zoey respectively. They shook their heads and smiled, telling him not to worry about it.

"Secondly, I can't exaggerate how happy I am to see El and Zo are healthy and safe." He continued, he heard Nick sneer at this but ignored it.

"To our health. And to a long future." Coach toasted, everyone raised their beer cans and clinked them together, omitting a dull noise when they were touched together. Everyone downed whatever was left in their beer can.

"Well said, big guy." Francis remarked as he set his beer can down on the table.

"Now that Ellis and Zoey are back, I think it's safe to say we can leave tomorrow." Nick exclaimed.

Coach and Rochelle nodded solemnly, but to Ellis, it felt like he had taken a punch to the gut.

 _"_ _We're leaving already? But, but what about Zoey? I promised I wouldn't leave her."_

Ellis gazed over at Zoey and she was already looking at him; an unreadable look on her face. Was she okay with it? Ellis felt torn. He couldn't leave her now; he cared for her too much to just leave her.

But he couldn't abandon his teammates either.

Ellis was stuck between his friends and his love.

 **Later that day**

The rest of the day was spent talking and drinking more beer. The evening was spent talking and drinking beer. Now it was dark and they were still drinking beer and chatting away.

Nobody was heavily drunk but they were loose and happy. Louis was only on his third as he was taking it slow. Everyone was down in the bar, Nick was playing and beating everyone at pool; he was currently mid-game with Francis and the result seemed to be heading the same way.

Ellis was happy to be with his friends, but he couldn't get his mind off of Zoey. He was about to leave the love of his life. After all the promises and the feelings they had for each other, he was just expected to leave her no problem?

He knew he couldn't leave his friends, but how could he leave her? After everything they had been through, depending on each other. Now he was just meant to throw all that away. If he left, he would probably never see her again. It was killing him, but he couldn't tell anyone. He couldn't leave his friends either.

Nick had informed him about the SUV he found, and how it still had a half full tank. Ellis almost felt like walking over to the jeep and smashing it to bits. He never hated a car as much as he did right now.

Nick potted the black ball and gave a victory smirk.

"Bullshit!" Francis exclaimed, nearly tossing the pool cue across the room.

"What can I say, I'm good." Nick shrugged.

Francis just snorted and walked back over to the bar.

"He was always a sore loser." Louis explained.

Coach got up and stretched his back and yawned. "I don't know about y'all, but I'm drifting off here." He admitted.

"Yeah sure, I could sleep." Rochelle admitted.

Slowly, everyone got to their feet and progressed back up the stairs. Nick stated he would take first watch while Louis agreed to take over when he was done. Ellis was urged to take the bed, as he needed rest the most due to his lingering fever. He had almost forgotten about it.

And that is how it went. The lights were flicked off, everyone assumed their positions for the night and slowly, everyone drifted off.

Except Zoey.

She couldn't get over it. They would be leaving in the morning. _He_ would be leaving in the morning. She could hardly believe it. She didn't want him to leave. Ellis meant so much to her. She needed him, not the same way she needed Francis or Louis but in a different way she couldn't exactly describe. Now she was going to lose him.

She needed to see him.

Zoey wasn't sure if it was the beer influencing her mind, but she found herself creeping out of the sitting room and through the main room

Nick turned around and glared at her. She just froze on the spot. The conman just smirked and turned back to the window. She continued on through the main room. It was freezing, she had taken off her shoes and her jacket in the sitting room, and she was creeping around in her socks which she instantly regretted.

She tiptoed down the hall and reached the bedroom door. Zoey took a few deep breaths before quietly creaking the door open. She saw his figure, gradually rising and falling in breathing. She strolled quietly over to the bed. One of the floorboards creaked as she stepped on it.

The college student froze as she saw Ellis' breathing stop suddenly and he began to turn around to her. She was stuck on the spot.

Ellis gazed at her with tired eyes, a confused expression on his face. How would she explain herself?

However, a smile grew on his face as he lifted up the duvet, gesturing for her to climb in. She did not hesitate and hopped in beside the mechanic. The bed was a cloud of warmth, she did not know why but Ellis always seemed to bring warmth to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

She sighed and leaned into his chest. She was going to miss him a lot. Zoey wondered would she ever see Ellis again if he left.

"I'm sorry Zo." He whispered.

The college student was confused about this statement.

"What are you sorry for El?"

"That I have to leave you. I know I promised I wouldn't, but I have to." His voice was so quiet, she could barely hear him.

"You aren't leaving me Ellis, you're moving on with your friends."

"I know Zo, but- what I'm to tryin' to-

He took a breath to compose himself.

"What I'm tryin' to say is that I really care about ya, and I want you to be safe."

That really killed her. Those words really made her heart break.

"El, I'll be okay. You'll be okay. You're gonna make it to New Orleans, I promise." Her voice was choking up.

"I want you to be safe Zo. I want to be able to see you again."

"We will see each other again El, I promise. I don't know when but we will. And hopefully in better circumstances." She added with a small laugh.

Ellis chuckled lightly and wiped the tears that threatened to fall down his face.

"I really care about you Ellis." She said as she grabbed his hand. And she wasn't lying, she did care for Ellis.

"I care about you too, Zoey."

Zoey closed the gap between them. She lightly pressed their lips together, her arms wrapped around his neck. He had his hands firmly on her waist.

The kiss was slow but meaningful; their hands exploring each other's body, the two enjoying every second of it. Zoey didn't care about getting too close to Ellis anymore, she was aware he would be leaving tomorrow. She cared for him too much to deny herself. She needed him right now.

This was their last night together. They were going to spend it in each other's arms. Neither could think of a better way to spend the night.

Their last night together.

 _A/N: Alright, so we're closer to the end than I thought. There will be two, maybe three chapters left in it before I begin to weigh in my options about a sequel, depending on what you guys think. Do let me know._

 _Until next time._


	21. Until we meet again

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. So, remember that notice I gave in the previous chapter, saying that there was still a few chapter to go? Yeah, that was an overestimate. This is the last chapter. Sorry, this is pretty shitty of me to let you guys know in the introduction of the last chapter but I sort of figured out that I could wrap it up in one chapter instead of two or three smaller ones, so yeah, sorry again. I will talk to you again at the bottom. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 _P.S. Listen to Mac DeMarco – Chamber of Reflection during the piece where they are saying goodbye to each other. It suits the vibe of the chapter and I wrote this while listening to it and it totally suits the mood I'm trying to set, especially the lyrics._

 _I will make this: song as a cue to start playing it. Seriously, it suits the situation so much._

 **Chapter 21: Until we meet again**

Zoey woke up peacefully in Ellis' arms. He served as a pillow of heat, Zoey curled up closer to him. She remembered what she had planned to do; not get too close to Ellis so when he leaves, it wouldn't hurt her.

Well, she threw that rule out the window.

She couldn't blame herself though, could she? She couldn't blame herself for liking Ellis. He was charming and funny and attractive. And taking into account that most things in the world nowadays wants to kill you, it is pretty easy to get drawn to the things that didn't.

It was going to hurt her, when Ellis leaves in a few hours, but she knew he was a fighter. He was going to survive, as well as all his friends. They were all going to make it to New Orleans. They were a close team who looked out for each other, much like her own.

That was the blunt recipe to surviving the apocalypse; have some knowledge on firearms and improvising as well as a small team of people with the same said knowledge. It was pretty simple but it worked.

Ellis stirred a little, grunting gibberish in his slumber, before going back silent and calm again; his gentle breathing tickling her neck. He was adorable when he slept.

She gently grazed her fingers against his cheek. He looked so peaceful and delicate. She was really going to miss him.

Zoey kept telling herself that she would see him again; but a part of her mind told her to stop being ridiculous. When he left, that was it. He was gone. She shook away these thoughts.

Ellis' eyelids fluttered slightly as he woke, letting out a yawn as he came back to consciousness. His blue eyes shone brilliantly, they were so full of life and happiness. He gave her a smile and a quick kiss on the lips.

"Morning Zo." He said with that mesmerising smile.

"Morning El." She returned as she wrapped her arms around him.

The indulged each other in a deep kiss, Zoey shifting her weight so she was nearly lying on him; his lips were a getaway to joy. She wasn't much of a romantic in her normal life, she didn't even talk to many boys in her normal life. Hell, she didn't talk to many people at all in her normal life. But Ellis made her feel loved and cared for; something she also wouldn't be used to in her normal life.

But it couldn't be. Ellis wouldn't be leaving soon, and she couldn't hold off the inevitable.

She was forced to say goodbye to him.

They both pulled back to get their breath back. Ellis grabbed her hand and slowly intertwined their fingers.

"Ya know Zo; you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He said while looking her in the eyes.

"You're just saying that." Zoey laughed as a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

Ellis shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"Nah, I'm serious. You are gorgeous and funny and _amazing_." He exaggerated the last word in the sentence, making butterflies flutter around in Zoeys' chest.

"Well, you are truly the sweetest man I've ever met." Zoey giggled as she kissed the corner of his mouth.

Ellis laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. She let out a sigh and relaxed into his chest.

"How much time do we have?" She asked as she gazed into his eyes which reminded her of oceanic orbs of blue.

"Not enough I'm afraid." Ellis replied as he kissed her on the forehead.

Zoey sat up and sighed again.

"I should get back before anyone notices I'm gone." She stated as she climbed out of the bed. She stopped suddenly when she felt his hand tugging hers.

She turned around and Ellis rather suddenly caught her lips again, his hand rubbing against her cheek. It made her annoyed that she had to leave him, but she would see him later for breakfast. He broke away and gazed at her as she left for the door.

"I'll see you in a few, El." She said softly to him.

"Wait a second, I have an idea." Ellis called to her as he opened the bedside drawer and took out a notepad and a pencil.

"When did you find that?" Zoey enquired as she sat on the bed again.

"On the first morning we were here; I searched the drawers when I woke up and found it." He explained as he began to quickly write something on the notepad. Zoey waited to see what he was writing with a raised eyebrow.

Ellis stopped writing and looked at her with a smirk.

"Now, I know this might seem cheesy, but this here is a message I want you to read when I'm gone." He exclaimed as he handed it to her. She nodded and placed the slip of paper in her back pocket, not questioning it.

"Will you, eh, do the same for me?" He asked hesitantly as he nervously extended the notepad and pencil to her.

Zoey gave a giggle and nodded. "Yeah, of course El." It was really sweet of him.

She jotted down her thoughts onto the paper before ripping the page out and handing it to him with a smile.

"Thanks Zo." He smiled as he placed the paper carefully into the pocket of his work suit.

"No problem El; I'll see you at breakfast." She replied as she left the bedroom.

She desperately wanted to read what he wrote for her but decided against it.

It was a nice idea and Zoey appreciated the idea.

He could be so hilariously goofy at times.

 **An hour later**

Everyone was now awake and up and breakfast was currently being eaten by the seven survivors. A weird silence had taken over the room, almost awkward.

The four would be leaving soon after breakfast, finally getting back on track to New Orleans. It was going to be weird leaving Rayford, they had almost gotten used to the town at this stage; everyone knowing every street and alley like the back of their hand.

When everyone eventually finished their meal, the four began to get ready for their imminent departure. Ellis' heart was torn but he couldn't abandon his friends.

The mechanic picked up his lonely looking grenade launcher and made sure there wasn't a shell in it, before swinging it over his back. He gazed over at his friends, who were all ready to go and waiting for him.

song

He took a deep breath and strolled back into the main room to see the three others standing opposite his three friends.

They were saying their goodbyes now.

"I can't thank you guys enough for what y'all done for us. Good luck with the Keys, I know y'all gonna make it." Coach stated as he shook Louis' hand firmly.

"Don't mention it man, we're glad you stuck with us for a bit. I almost forgot that other people besides these two idiots existed before you came." Francis remarked as he gestured to his two friends.

"I'm sorry if I pissed you guys off. Good luck." Nick admitted in a low tone.

"See ya, baby girl." Coach muttered as Zoey crushed him in a hug.

"Goodbye Coach, I'm gonna miss you." She exclaimed sadly to the big man.

"See ya Francis, I was joking about your vest by the way, it's pretty uh, cool I guess." Rochelle smirked as she also hugged Francis.

"I knew it! No one can hate my vest." He laughed as he threw his arms around her.

The rest of the goodbyes were handshakes, hugs and clever comments and wishing good luck to each other.

After wishing Louis good luck with the boat, Ellis finally came up to Zoey and he didn't know what to say. He had a million possible things he could say to her, but decided his message for her would say the things he really wanted to say.

Zoey squeezed her arms around his shoulders as they hugged tightly, neither wanting to let go.

"Goodbye El. I'm gonna miss you so much." Zoey whispered into his ear.

"I'll miss you too Zo; until we meet again." He replied softly as he pulled back hesitantly. As he gazed into her eyes, he saw the gleam off of her piercing emeralds. He would miss her eyes, her laugh, her goofy jokes, her beauty; he was going to miss everything about her.

After all the goodbyes were said, Nick initiated that they leave. The four left the flat as the other three waved them on. They clambered down the ladder as Ellis took one last look at Zoey, who was standing on the balcony with her two friends. He had half a mind to go back and beg her to come with him but realized it would never work. Like himself, she would also never abandon her friends.

"C'mon Overalls!" Nick called out when he noticed Ellis was lagging behind. Ellis sprung back to life and caught up with his group.

Zoey huffed out a breath as she saw Ellis continue on down the bridge. She already missed him, he meant so much to her. She only had herself to blame though, she had gotten close to him.

 _"_ _This won't be the last time I see him. It can't be."_

"I'm gonna miss those guys. They were cool." Francis muttered in a low voice.

"I have to agree with you Francis. But they'll make it to New Orleans, I just know it." Louis responded.

"Yeah, yeah, they will, won't they?" Zoey mumbled to herself, speaking her thoughts out loud.

The three heard the hum of an engine approaching; a black SUV sped by and let out a loud honk of the horn. The three waved at them as the group of four roared off down the road and off into the distance.

They were gone.

Francis sighed and went back inside the flat, Louis following behind him. Zoey stayed out on the balcony, gazing down the road. She couldn't see them anymore. She felt her eyes start to flood but she wiped away the tears.

She had to stay strong right now.

She eventually re-entered the flat and sat down at the table, staring into space. She already felt alone. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around. It was Louis with a sincere look on his face.

"You alright, Zoey?"

The college student nodded.

"Yeah. I'm gonna miss them is all." She admitted.

"I know you do. I do too. But they're gonna be alright. I promise." He encouraged her. Zoey smiled and nodded again.

"Yeah, they're tough people, they'll be fine." She agreed as she stood up and stretched her back.

They heard Francis bounding up the stairs as he re-emerged in the main room.

"Guys, I think we should follow in suit and get our asses to the Keys soon. We've been screwing around this bridge for too long." He remarked as he sat down.

Louis and Zoey nodded in agreement.

"We're gonna need food and water for the trip. Maybe some medical stuff, just in case." Louis instructed.

"What, you going to hurt your leg again?" Francis mocked as Zoey laughed at the joke.

"No, just- Uh never mind. We'll get looking later today." Louis mumbled, clearly flustered.

"Sounds like a plan, Lou." Francis said as he leaned back in his seat.

Zoey got up and left, claiming she needed to go the bathroom. She had to read the note. It was killing her.

She slammed the door behind her and pulled out the slip of paper and opened it quickly.

 _Dear Zoey A.K.A. The girl of my dreams._

 _I have so much to say to you, but I don't have enough time._

 _Perhaps in another world, we would meet in a normal situation and I would have as much time to say everything I want to say, but unfortunately, that world is not the one we live in._

 _Everything about you is amazing to me. Your laugh, our common crappy sense of humour, your mesmerising beauty, but even the small amount of flaws you have only make me adore you more._

 _I care about you so much. I always will. You are perfect to me and don't you forget it. I swear to God I have never seen a girl more beautiful than you._

 _We will see each other again, I promise you. I will see you again and we will be happy together, I promise. And as you know, I don't break promises._

 _Goodbye for now Zo. Never change because you're already perfect to me._

 _Yours always,_

 _Ellis._

A single tear splashed onto the page. All she wanted to do was thank him for this wonderful message. All she wanted was to be back in the safety of his arms.

 _"_ _You're right El, you never break promises."_ She smiled to herself.

 **A few hours later**

The group of four were pulled over at what they presumed was an abandoned gas station. Coach filled up the SUV with what little gas remained in the pumps while Rochelle watched the road for any danger. Ellis and Nick searched the station for any supplies.

Ellis grabbed some energy bars and stuffed them into his pocket, taking whatever food was left in this desolate gas station. Everything looked rusty and old.

As he stuffed the bars into his pocket, he felt the jagged edge of something.

It was Zoeys' message.

Ellis already missed her dearly, but he had to keep his mind on the future and the safety of his friends, but he couldn't help but wish that the three others were okay.

Ellis took out the paper and unfolded it. He took a deep breath and started reading.

 _Dear Ellis,_

 _I wish we had more time together to talk to each other and listen to our really bad jokes but unfortunately, we don't. So this message will have to suffice until we meet again._

 _You're a one of a kind Ellis, and I mean it. Never have I met such a sweet and caring guy like you._

 _You always put other's safety first and you care about me even though I'm so messed up. I have to thank you for that._

 _In all honesty Ellis, I wish we met before all this shit. I doubt I would have been able to talk to a good looking southern gentleman like yourself anyway but I would have loved to meet you and actually have been able to spend some quality time together._

 _Ellis, I care about you so much and I will be waiting for you every day._

 _I'll be at the Florida Keys, Ellis. That's where you'll find me and the other two idiots. I will be waiting for you there._

 _I am going to miss you so much but I know we'll see each other again, someday._

 _Until we meet again,_

 _Zoey._

"Ellis? You ready to go?"

Ellis quickly stuffed the paper into his pocket.

"Um yeah! I'll be out in a minute!" He called back.

No matter how long it would be until he saw her again, Ellis would never stop caring about Zoey.

She was the girl of his dreams .

 _"_ _Until we meet again, Zo."_

 _A/N: So yeah, that is it for Strength in Numbers. Once again, I'm sorry for telling you guys so late that this is the last chapter but in better news, a sequel is confirmed and being worked on. I broke my ankle so I won't have much else to be doing, and I'm also on summer holidays now (About time.) so I will be writing the sequel until I get some crutches :P_

 _There is one chapter left to post, but it's got nothing to do with these seven survivors, it's about those OC's I planned a few chapters back. (Yeah, remember that?) Think of it more as a teaser for the sequel as they will be in it._

 _Well, that's it folks. Stay tuned for the sequel! Thanks so much for all the nice reviews! I appreciate them so much!_

 _Until next time,_

 _Yobloc20_


	22. Bad first impressions are hard to erase

_Hey guys, its Yobloc20 here. So here's that teaser for the sequel I told you guys about with the OC's in it. The sequel is being worked and it won't be too long before I release it. Thanks for all the reviews again. Favourite, Review and Enjoy! Valve owns all the characters._

 **Teaser for Sequel: Bad first impressions are hard to erase**

The sun shone brilliantly through the faint layer of clouds, beaming its early morning rays at everything except for the areas that were in the shadow of the large buildings, which remained cold, dark and moist from yesterday's rain.

The weak wind blew across the empty yard, lightly tossing the dead leaves around the tarmac ground. One shambling infected grunted and groaned idly as it wandered aimlessly until a machete landed down on its skull.

The infected slowly keeled onto the ground as Beth managed to pull her blade out of its head. She sighed as she rubbed the blood and brain matter on the infecteds' once white shirt.

"Fucking disgusting." She grumbled to herself as she inspected the mutated corpse. Beth had seen some messed up shit from her rough travels around the world but nothing quite like this.

 _"_ _And these things were once human."_

It had the body of a human, a deformed body but a clear resemblance nonetheless. But it thought differently to anything else in this world.

This mutation simply wanted to kill _everything._ Not even for food or sport, simply out of pure hatred. Its' mind set was just to kill anything that wasn't similar to itself.

The Green Flu was a fucking horrible disease. It changed you into a mindless monster with no empathy or sense in general; your only aim is to kill.

Beth knew that these things weren't human anymore. They had lost their minds and thought like animals. It was a disease that as currently tearing humanity apart, destroying families and lives everywhere.

Thank god Beth was never close to anyone.

The feeling of a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

Beth froze on the spot. If she made a sudden movement, she would most likely be killed instantly. She was most likely going to be killed instantly anyway. What choice did she have?

In a split second, Beth grabbed the hand and dragged it forward while she spun her whole body around, all while she launched her other fist at the attacker.

She connected with the figure, who staggered away, holding the area where she had landed the punch. Beth swiftly pulled back out her machete and got into a stance, waiting for the figure to counter, but it didn't.

 _"_ _Ah you bitch! What the hell was that for?!"_

Zombies don't talk.

The figure stood up fully, revealing a perfectly normal face; no blood, no feral eyes, no violent yelling. A normal, pissed off face.

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

The man was tall, a good head taller than her anyway (Height wasn't her strongsuit in all fairness.) He had short, coal black hair which was combed neatly from left to right. He wore expensive looking clothes. He had pale white skin and many rolls of bandages around his left hand.

"Why did you punch me?!" He questioned angrily. Was he honestly confused about her actions? Sneaking up on someone and putting your hand on their shoulder when they thought they were alone, in a world where everything wants you dead, how could he be confused that he got hit? He should really count himself lucky that he didn't get a machete blade in the face.

"Don't sneak up on people like that, dumbass." Beth replied, her arms crossed. This guy was an absolute idiot.

"I didn't sneak up on you! I just- I walked-

He paused and got lost in his own words. "Okay, fair point. I did sneak up on you." He added. Finally he was getting it.

"Well then you understand why I did it. That was pretty stupid of you." Beth explained as she examined her surroundings.

"I wasn't expecting a punch to the face. Is it bad?" He asked as he rubbed two fingers over his right eye and hissed. She connected the punch well. His eye was starting to turn purple and it looked sore.

"It's pretty bad. I think it's gonna be a black eye." Beth remarked as she held her hands behind her back.

He cursed under his breath and kicked a stone across the ground. This guy was pretty odd. His body language was awkward and confused, as if he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Listen, can we get out of the open? We're pretty vulnerable out here." Beth asked as she noticed the eerie silence around them. The guy nodded and they proceeded towards one of the buildings.

He had an Uzi tied around his back and a handgun in a holster around his leg. This guy didn't look threatening or he didn't look like he knew how to fight either. This helped reassure Beth that he wasn't leading her into an ambush or something.

They escaped into the dark hallway of a building. A flickering light being the only thing helping them see. Beth realized she hadn't even gotten his name.

"Um, I didn't get your name, …?"

"Peter. The name is Peter. And yours?"

"Beth."

"So like, Bethany?"

"No, _Beth."_

She hated when people called her Bethany. She hated that name.

"And how old are you, _Beth?"_ He emphasised her name for effect. Why did he want to know her age?

"27 years old. Yourself?" She replied quickly.

"I am the ripe old age of 25."

25? He looked younger than that.

"And what did you do before all this, _Beth?"_ He was still emphasising her name, and he was still questioning her background for some reason.

"I was eh, I was a stockbroker." That was a lie. Wow, that was a horrendous lie. Truth is, Beth made her living by smuggling illegal things into countries around the world. Drugs, weapons, diamonds, anything that her hierarchy wanted her to smuggle through.

She travelled the world, sure. She also had no friends, a lot of money but nothing to spend it on, constantly being on the move, always being distrustful of people. When she heard of unlicensed plasma TV's being shipped back to the States, Beth instantly jumped on board.

She rarely visited her home country of the good ol' USA, but she relished the chances she did. And then usually ended up regretting ever coming back and leaving not too long later. And boy, did she regret coming back this time.

"What about you?" Beth eventually asked.

"I was in my final year at Harvard. Well, before I got my ass kicked out of it for bullshit reasons. But hey, the apocalypse is here so it doesn't matter anymore."

This guy went to Harvard? But he was so awkward and gawky! Beth reminded herself to never judge a book by its cover.

"Listen, I'm gonna take it you're on the way to the evac down at the docks?" Peter suddenly questioned. Beth had no idea about there being an evac at the docks, but she decided that it was her best shot.

"Umm yeah, you?" She replied awkwardly.

Peter nodded an affirmative.

"Well, I figured it would be uh, _smart_ to watch each other's backs until we get there, hmm?"

Beth had heard of worse ideas. She brushed a lock of her mousey blonde hair back and nodded.

"Sure, let's go Pete."

" _Peter._ I hate when people call me Pete."

"Don't make me hit you again." Beth laughed.

"How is my eye by the way?"

His eye was a dark purple.

"It looks bad."

"As in badass or painful?"

"Painful."

" _Shit._ Alright, let's go Bethany."

So, the guy Beth had introduced herself to by punching him in the face was now watching her back as they made their way to this supposed evac centre.

 _"_ _I guess bad first impressions can be erased."_

 _A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading Strength in Numbers and for the nice reviews you gave me! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. A sequel is being worked on as we speak, it won't be too long. Keep posted for that._

 _Well, that's it for this story, folks._

 _Until next time,_

 _Yobloc20_


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